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Freeman slips quietly back into Australia
SYDNEY, Sept 1 (AFP) - World champion sprinter Cathy Freeman has slipped quietly back into Australia and will prepare for the Olympics in a secure camp away from prying eyes. But first the world 400m champion, favourite for Olympic gold, wants to see her two pet cats. "I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing my cats," she told reporters on arrival in Melbourne. "I'm a real animal lover and actually last week in London I bought some special bands to go around their necks." The Atlanta silver medallist said she couldn't be happier with her form after winning all nine races in Europe during the last five months. "I ran my fastest 400m for three years in Monte Carlo so I'm really happy," she said. "I'm relaxed and I'm enjoying myself." Freeman is expected to spend the weekend in Melbourne before leaving for her training camp in Queensland. She is not expected to join the rest of the Australian team in Brisbane, preferring to do her own preperation. Athletics Australia head coach Chris Wardlaw said plans had been in position for six months for Freeman to train in a secure place away from distractions. "We've had a plan in place for some months to ensure that Catherine can prepare in as discreet a way as possible, whne you take into account the fact that she is the face of Australia's Olympic Games," he said. "We accept that, but we have to do everything we can to make sure she is not impeded in any way by distractions and the expectations of the Australian public." Wardlaw said the Aboriginal icon knew how pivotal she was to Australia but "we're certainly not going to have her out so crowds and crowds of people can watch her train every day." But he confirmed Freeman would stay in the athletes' village during the Games. The two-time 400m world champion will go into Sydney as favourite but her clash with arch rival Marie-Jose Perec, who beat Freeman out of Olympic gold four years ago, is set to be a highlight of the Games. Freeman, whose face has been plastered on billboards around the nation, has competed at the highest level for a decade. She first came to public attention when she won gold at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games as part of the 4x100m relay team, aged just 16, and has never looked back. That year she was awarded the title of Young Australian of the Year and was named Aboriginal Athlete of the Year in 1991. Twelve months on she became the first Aboriginal track and field athlete to represent Australia when she was selected for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, finishing fifth in a quarter-final of the 400m. National adulation came with a double gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada, in the 200m/400m before she became the first Australian woman to run under 50 seconds in 1996. Later that year, in one of the greatest one-lap races, Freeman posted an Australian and Commonwealth record (48.63s) when second to Perec in the 400m at Atlanta. After her gold medal winning performance in Athens in 1997, she was named Australian of the Year and successfully defended her world 400m title at Seville last year. Her Commonwealth record of 48.63sec remains her personal best for the 400m.
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