Editing Cathy Freeman (section)

===1996–2003===
Freeman made more progress during the 1996 season, setting many personal bests and Australian records. By this stage, she was the biggest challenger to [[France]]'s [[Marie-José Pérec]] at the [[1996 Summer Olympic Games|1996 Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportbible.com/australia/news-the-top-10-greatest-olympic-moments-of-all-time-20210721|title = The Top 10 Greatest Olympic Moments of All-Time| date=21 July 2021 }}</ref> She eventually took the silver medal behind Pérec, in an Australian record of 48.63 seconds. This was the fourth-fastest since the world record was set in [[Canberra]], Australia, in 1985.<ref name =WorldAthletics /> Pérec's winning time of 48.25 was an [[List of Olympic records in athletics|Olympic record]].<ref name =WorldAthletics />

In 1997, Freeman won the 400 m at the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in Athens, with a time of 49.77 seconds. Her only loss in the 400 m that season was in [[Oslo]] where she injured her foot.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barber|first1=Step-father Bruce|last2=Danila|first2=Mike|last3=Auckl|first3=Peter Fortune Retired 1 July 2003 Medal record Women's athletics Representing Australia Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney 400 m Silver 1996 Atlanta 400 m World Championships Gold 1997 Athens 400 m Gold 1999 Seville 400 m Bronze 1995 Gothenburg 4 × 400 m relay Commonwealth Games Gold 1990|last4=m|first4=4 × 100 m Gold 1994 Victoria 200 m Gold 1994 Victoria 400 m Gold 2002 Manchester 4 × 400 m Silver 1994 Victoria 4 × 100|title=Cathy Freeman Facts for Kids|url=https://facts.kiddle.co/Cathy_Freeman|access-date=2020-10-14|website=facts.kiddle.co|language=en-us}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2024}}<sup>This is a mirror site. Please replace with better source.</sup>

Freeman took a break for the 1998 season, due to injury. Upon her return to the track in 1999, Freeman did not lose a single 400 m race, including at the [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics/australia/cathy-freeman-274/defends-world-championship-400m-crown-in-seville_a08106/|title=Cathy FREEMAN – Australia – Defends World Championship 400m crown in Seville|website=sporting-heroes.net|access-date=1 August 2021}}</ref>

Freeman also lit the torch in the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Olympic Games]] in Sydney.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/freeman_cathy,15499.html|title=Cathy Freeman|date=14 June 2005|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219090123/https://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/freeman_cathy,15499.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Cathy Freeman 2000 olympics.jpg|thumb|Freeman preparing to race in the Olympic 400&nbsp;m final, Sydney 2000.]]

She continued to win into the 2000 season, despite Pérec's return to the track. Freeman was the home favourite for the 400&nbsp;m title at the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Olympics]] in Sydney, where she was expected to face-off with rival Pérec. This showdown never happened, as Pérec left the Games after what she described as harassment from strangers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics2000/athletics-track/934839.stm|title=Perec out of Olympics|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 September 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=SYDNEY 2000; Perec Says Fear Overwhelmed Her|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/29/sports/sydney-2000-perec-says-fear-overwhelmed-her.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 September 2000|url-access=registration}}</ref> Freeman won the Olympic title in a time of 49.11 seconds, becoming only the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic champion (the first was Freeman's {{Nowrap|4 × 400}} teammate [[Nova Peris|Nova Peris-Kneebone]] who won for [[Field hockey at the 1996 Summer Olympics|field hockey four years earlier]] in Atlanta).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE2289b.htm|title=Peris, Nova Maree – Woman – The Australian Women's Register|first=National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of|last=Melbourne|website=womenaustralia.info|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> After the race, Freeman took a victory lap, carrying both the [[Australian Aboriginal Flag|Aboriginal]] and [[Flag of Australia|Australian flags]]. This was despite unofficial flags being banned at the Olympic Games, and the Aboriginal flag, while recognised as official in Australia, not being a [[national flag]] or recognised by the [[International Olympic Committee]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Indigenous leaders want officials to drop ban on flags|url=http://www.theage.com.au/olympics/off-the-field/indigenous-leaders-want-officials-to-drop-ban-on-flags-20120731-23d74.html|access-date=2 May 2013|newspaper=The Age|date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic flags rule sparks anger|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7542761.stm|access-date=2 May 2013|publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=5 August 2008}}</ref> Freeman also reached the final of the 200&nbsp;m, coming sixth.<ref>[[David Wallechinsky|Wallechinsky, David]]; Loucky, Jaime. ''The Complete Book of the Olympics''. [[Aurum Press]], 2008, p. 300.</ref> In honour of her gold medal win in Sydney, she represented Oceania in carrying the Olympic flag at the opening ceremonies of the [[2002 Winter Olympics|next Olympics]], in [[Salt Lake City]], joining Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]] (Africa), [[John Glenn]] (The Americas), [[Kazuyoshi Funaki]] (Asia), [[Lech Wałęsa]] (Europe), [[Jean-Michel Cousteau]] (Environment), [[Jean-Claude Killy]] (Sport), and [[Steven Spielberg]] (Culture).{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

Throughout her career, Freeman regularly competed in the [[Victorian Athletic League]] where she won two 400&nbsp;m races at the [[Stawell Gift]] Carnival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stawellgift.com/hall-of-fame/did-you-know/|title=Top Ten Trivia – Stawell Gift|website=stawellgift.com|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref>
Freeman did not compete during the 2001 season. In 2002 she returned to the track to compete as a member of Australia's victorious {{Nowrap|4 × 400 m}} relay team at the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]].

Freeman announced her retirement in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/16/1058035019872.html|title=Cathy Freeman retires|last=Johnson|first=Len|date=16 July 2003|work=[[The Age]]|access-date=4 January 2010 | location=Melbourne}}</ref>