Freeman returns to medal rostrum
Australia's Olympic 400 metres champion Cathy Freeman made her long-awaited return to the medal rostrum at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday after some of the toughest months of her life.
The most high-profile performer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics picked up a gold medal in the women's 4x400 metres relay after running the second leg.
For a woman who has won every major title in the athletics world, a Commonwealth title in the relay hardly rates a mention on her staggering list of achievements.
But Freeman, the first Aboriginal to win an athletics gold for Australia at the Olympics, celebrated as if she were back in Sydney.
"To come here and win a gold medal, I never dreamed that this could happen to me," Freeman said. "I dreamed of Olympic gold but this is just an absolute bonus."
Freeman's life has changed dramatically since she lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony in Sydney before winning the women's 400 on an electric night at the athletics track.
She almost did not make it to Manchester after her husband, Sandy Bodecker, was diagnosed two months ago with inoperable throat cancer.
PERSUADED
The 29-year-old Freeman wanted to miss the Games to stay by his side during his radiation and chemotherapy treatment but Bodecker persuaded her to go to Manchester instead, where, among other things, she lunched with Britain's Queen Elizabeth.
Because she had missed the national championships through injury, Freeman did not qualify for the 400 individual event, although Australian team selectors could have invoked a rarely-used clause giving her permission to run.
But Freeman spared them from having to make any awkward decisions by opting to run the relay only.
"The thought of a gold medal didn't cross my mind when I landed here last week," Freeman said.
"I have more concerns with my own level of fitness, but the sense of occasion and pride when you're part of a team gives you so much strength and we came through."
Freeman made her international debut at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, winning gold in the relay as a skinny teenager.
PRESSURE
In Sydney she managed to cope with the huge pressure from the home nation but afterwards decided to walk away from the sport for a year to rest mentally and physically. Some suspected she might hang up her spikes for good.
A shy woman, she spent most of her year off living outside Australia, where she has such a high profile that it is difficult to lead a normal life.
She spent time working with homeless people in the United States and also lived it up, travelling the globe and enjoying her life free of the rigours of training.
But the longer she had off, the more Freeman began to realise she was missing the sport.
After putting on weight in the break, she started out on the long road back to the top of the athletics tree last December, trying to get herself back into shape and back to her old form.
Australia were not expected to win Wednesday's relay after qualifying fifth for the final but rode their luck after Jamaica, the world champions and clear favourites, dropped the baton.
Australia were in second place after the first two legs after Lauren Hewitt, bronze medallist in Monday's 200 final, and then Freeman handed off to Tamsyn Lewis, the 800 finalist trained by England's Sebastian Coe.
Lewis put the Australians in front for the first time and gave 400 hurdles champion Jana Pittman a decisive lead going into the anchor leg which she was able to maintain to the end, crossing the line in three minutes 25.63 seconds from England and Nigeria.
"It's bloody nice, it's fantastic to have this gold medal hanging round my neck," Freeman said. "Our coach said there was a hint of a medal chance, maybe not gold, but fate has fallen our way."
