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News24 Sep 2000


Women's 400m final

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Women's 400m Final

Has any athlete faced such pressure as 27 year-old Cathy Freeman going into an Olympic final? As she stood waiting for the starter's orders - resplendent in an enveloping body suit of green and gold - the capacity crowd of 112,500 roared with a passion that made their expectations clear - victory. A lesser person would have shrivelled under such scrutiny: it was much more than just a race - it was an expression of national identity. As the gun went, the runners swept round the track on a wave of sound, the flashbulbs in the crowd shadowing their progress. At first, Freeman seemed to lag behind, but after going through 200m in an estimated 23.6, she began to accelerate hard. Coming into the final straight, Freeman needed to pull away from Jamaica's Lorraine Graham and Britain's Katherine Merry. And there was no show-boating for the 1999 World Champion, she gritted her teeth and worked hard right to the line to win the Olympic gold she so coveted in a season's best time of 49.11. As the stadium erupted in a joyous celebration, Freeman stayed crouched on the ground. Her expression was blank - all the hype, the incessant attention were now over - she had fulfilled all expectations, including her own. Slowly, as if waking from a dream, she stood to her feet and walked to the crowd. But only when she grabbed two flags - one for her country and the other for her aboriginal people - did she break into a grin and begin her victory lap.

But whatever the crowd may have thought, this race was not just about Freeman. Graham and Merry both ran well judged races, the Jamaican ensuring silver with a personal best 49.58, while Merry fulfilled two major goals in only her second year of 400m running: first an Olympic bronze and, second, the first sub-50 second performance of her career - 49.72. Merry finished just seven hundredths ahead of her teammate Donna Fraser, the fastest finisher of the night. It was a great night for British 400m running and a much greater night for Australia.

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