Cathy Freeman thrilled Australians when she won the women's 400 meters gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, wearing a skin-tight, hooded running suit. She then excited controversy when she took a victory lap carrying the Australian flag and a flag representing Australia's First Nations peoples.
On Monday, Freeman was awarded Australia's highest civil honor in the annual honors list commemorating the Australia Day national holiday. The honor, she said, means that at 53 its time to start getting more serious.
