The race was only 400 meters, but Australia came so much further on Monday.
It was a race of recognition and reconciliation for the 2000 Olympics host nation. It was about a country trying to come to grips with a history of neglect and poor treatment of its native Aboriginal people. It was about a runner whose grandmother was part of the “Stolen Generation” in the 1930s, taken from her home and forced to live with a white family for assimilation purposes.
Nearly seven decades later, it was about a people putting their arms around the granddaughter who now serves as a bridge to what Australians hope will be a better future.
It was, as one newspaper headline read Monday, “The race of our lives.”
So when Cathy Freeman won the women’s 400 meters in 49.11 seconds to become the first Aboriginal athlete to win an individual gold medal, it was a victory not only for her, but for all the Australian people. The symbolism never was stronger than when Freeman paraded around the track carrying both Aboriginal and Australian flags.
Perhaps never before have the Aboriginal colors–red for earth, yellow for the sun and black for the people–been so intertwined with the Union Jack that represents Australia. “Hopefully what happened tonight will make a difference for a lot of people’s attitudes, from the people on the street to the politicians,” Freeman said. “Hopefully I made a lot of people from all different backgrounds feel good.”
Freeman admitted being nervous, but she knew she had to run her race. That meant being relaxed for the first 200 meters and then using her strength for the final 100 meters.
The strategy worked. She pulled away over the final 50 meters to win easily over Lorraine Graham of Jamaica (49.58).
“I could feel the crowd all over me,” Freeman said. “I felt all the emotion being absorbed into every pore of my body. I just had to sit there [after the race] and get normal with it.”
Racing just 15 minutes after Freeman, Michael Johnson was almost an afterthought as he became the first man to defend the 400-meter title in the Olympics, coming in at 43.84 seconds and easily outdistancing U.S. teammate Alvin Harrison, who was second in 44.40 seconds.
Johnson had stunned the track world in Atlanta in 1996 by becoming the first person to win the 200 and 400 in the same Olympics. The lasting memory of Johnson will be of him heating a hot Atlanta night by running the 200 in an incredible 19.32 seconds.
Johnson also was part of the gold medal-winning 4-x-400 relay in 1992, and could add another relay gold later this week. The feats are fitting for a runner whose nickname is “Superman.”
Monday’s victory seemed to fulfill his desire to be categorized with Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis. He didn’t need to say it. The achievement spoke for itself.
“He goes down as one of the most prolific track stars of all time,” Harrison said. “He deserves it. He’s earned it.”
Johnson said he came into these Olympics with one goal: “I wanted to repeat and make history.”
In Atlanta, the tears flowed freely when Johnson was on the medal stand. He didn’t have any tears Monday.
“It’s great in both cases, but Atlanta probably was the highlight of my career,” he said.
As for Freeman, her victory was a culmination of a life’s work. “This fact should be celebrated, not abused,” Freeman said. “I love where I come from, but I am not at the Olympics to be political.”
