It was one of the most unforgettable running races in Australian history.
That is the 1996 Stawell women’s 400m final, where Cathy Freeman raced from scratch to win, despite giving her six competitors a 42 metre start.
It was a rainy afternoon in the Victorian country town as Freeman did the almost impossible to win the race.
Watching the footage all these years later still gives you goosebumps, even more so knowing what was ahead for Freeman in the four years after 1996.
A new documentary produced by Fixon Media Group in association with the Victorian Athletic League called That Race gets all the competitors from the 1996 race – Freeman, Shanie Singleton, Tara Gleeson, Jackie Chehade, Emma Yeomans, Kim McDonough and Debra Tomsett – together for the first time to look back at the incredible afternoon 30 years on.
The interviews with seven women were filmed at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.
In 1996 at the Stawell Gift at Easter, Freeman was very much in the public eye leading up to the Atlanta Olympics, which of course followed four years later with the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
She credits the race in Stawell as giving her a huge boost leading into Atlanta, where she famously ran 48.63 to win the silver medal against her French rival Marie-Jose Perec.
“I’ve never been pushed like I was that day at Stawell,” Freeman told the documentary.
“The top two in terms of pure performance, 1996 Olympics and 1996 Stawell.”
It was an emotional moment earlier in the year for the women as they gathered together.
The race was also famous for how Freeman won, the grit and determination, including an elbow as she surged past Jackie Chehade, who was wearing the green bib.
There were all smiles, and Freeman told the documentary that her competitors inspired her to go on to do great things in the years after 1996.
“Without these ladies there is no way I would gotten what I got out for myself, there is no doubt about it,” she said.
The world premiere of That Race will take place at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre on October 11 from 33.30pm to 6.30pm.
Australian Athletics readers can get a discount of five percent with the code AUSATHS.
Ticket link HERE
Director Didier Le Miere turned the documentary around in six weeks, filming at Lakeside Stadium in February.
It was an incredible project to be involved in for Le Miere.
“The reunion was very emotional,” he said.
“ It was the first time they had all come together in thirty of years.
“There were lots of hugs, tears, embracing, the conversation was nice.
“A lot of that will come through in the latter half of the film.
“Even with Cathy as well, as much as the focus is on her because she won the race, and the next four years as we know what followed.
“There was a lot of gratitude among all of them.”
The film also features interviews with World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, Freeman’s coach Peter Fortune, and journalist Jon Anderson who was there on the day.
View the trailer HERE
By Luke Dennehy, Australian Athletics
Posted 29/9/2026
