Olympic champion and Australian icon Catherine Freeman has today been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, recognised for her profound impact on the nation in the 2026 Australia Day Honours List.
The Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) is awarded for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia, with Freeman honoured today for her athletics career which was famously headlined by the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games where she won 400m gold, as well as her ongoing leadership in Indigenous communities.
Freeman’s crowning moment saw her become a national treasure as the first Indigenous Australian to win an individual Olympic gold medal, performing under immense pressure to unite the nation and cement her status in sporting history, having earlier been selected to light the Olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony.
Australian Athletics Chief Executive Officer Simon Hollingsworth commended Freeman as not only a champion sprinter but so too a role model for all Australians, celebrating the recognition of his former teammate.
“Catherine Freeman is a true legend of our sport and her impact on athletics in Australia is immeasurable,” Hollingsworth said.
“That incredible moment at Sydney 2000 will forever live in the memory of all who witnessed it. Her legacy as an athlete and person continues to inspire the next generation, especially as we head towards the Brisbane 2032 Games.
“On behalf of Australian Athletics, we congratulate her on this very well-deserved honour.”
Those comments were echoed by Australian Athletics President Jane Flemming, who emphasised the significance of Freeman’s achievements.
“No one deserves this honour more than Catherine Freeman,” Flemming said.
“I have had the privilege of watching her sporting journey from such a young age, through to that gold medal moment at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.
“She has inspired and continues to inspire the nation, and I congratulate her on everything she has achieved.”
Freeman’s athletics career also included 400m gold at the 1997 and 1999 World Athletics Championships, silver at the 1996 Olympic Games, and four Commonwealth Games gold medals from 1990-2002.
Her appointment as AC recognises not only her record-breaking athletic achievements but also her impact as a leader, role model and advocate for inclusive sport.
Technical Official and Administrator, Richard Lawysz is also recognised – with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) – for his more the fifty years of voluntary commitment to athletics at all levels of the sport.
A World Athletics Gold Referee, Richard is as committed to delivering athletics competition in Geelong as has been to playing a role in every major international track and field competition held in Australia since 1996. He is passionate about the mentoring and education of officials – and ensuing that they are well-equipped to take on any role in our diverse sport.
By Lachlan Moorhouse and Brian Roe, Australian Athletics
Posted 26/1/2026
