This was the long-awaited race for Cathy Freeman, it's even said that the hype and expectance for this 400m race from the public started literally two years before the Olympic games. A whole nation held their breath for 49.11 seconds, their hopes were dashed when around the last bend, they saw that their Cathy Freeman, was third. However, having a nose for the finish line, Cathy pushed ahead, some of the crowd saying that it was the fastest last 100m of a 400m race they had ever seen, resulting in Cathy coming first. This was such a huge night, that those who were alive and watching 21 years ago, still remember it today. It was a key and memorable night for Cathy, the media, track and field, the nation and especially Australia's First Nations people, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This race was called 'The Race of Our Lives'. All conflicts between the settlers and Indigenous populations came head-to-head in this race, with a quarter of a million Australians walking on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of reconciliation.

Cathy is significant because she has shown to the Indigenous Australians that with hard work, anyone of any race can achieve the best results, she is a symbol of hope and pride for our country. She has tied everyone together, black or white, each and everyone of the Australian community was a champion.