Cathy Freeman relives her incredible 400m gold medal winning performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, #OTD 20 years ago. | NITV

On this day 20 years ago, Cathy Freeman won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. To celebrate the historical moment, the race was beamed onto the Sydney Opera House's sails. | SBS News

16 years ago today, Cathy Freeman won her nation's heart. | Olympics

Cathy Freeman was an unstoppable athlete, collecting title after title, medal after medal, and earning many firsts as an Australian Aboriginal. She realized at a young age that Indigenous people were not treated the same as the rest of the Australian population. She faced challenges and oppression, but let neither stop her from achieving greatness for herself, for the nation, and for other Aboriginals. As she became widely recognized, she became a powerful symbol of unity for Australia, becoming

An Australian household name, Cathy Freeman can be heralded as one of Australia’s greatest ever sportspeople.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ In 2000, Carrying the weight of the nation on her shoulders, Cathy was awarded the honour of lighting flame at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. Ten days later, in a packed stadium of over 112,000 people and wearing a now legendary full body suit she collected the ultimate prize. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Taking the lead 75 metres from home Cathy Freeman held off her challengers to win Olymp