2000 Sydney

Sydney 2000

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"It just feels like a dream."
Even 20 years after she carried the hopes of a nation to win 400m Olympic gold in front of a raucous home crowd in Sydney, Cathy Freeman still can't quite believe what she achieved, and what her win meant for her country.
It was

Cathy FREEMAN

Sydney 2000 | Olympic Games

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Cathy Freeman re-lives Sydney 2000 gold that brought Australia together

Russian legend Aleksandr Karelin was a fearsome competitor who won three Olympic golds - he brings that same mentality into politics

Aleksandr KARELIN

Originals

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Where are they now? Aleksandr Karelin’s legend lives on

Thorpe reached the pinnacle of his sport by winning five gold medals, but after retiring he had to find inner peace to succeed again

Ian THORPE

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Where are they now? Ian Thorpe’s legend lives on

Three-time Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband cemented his status as one of the best-ever freestyle swimmers. His legacy continues.

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Where are they now? Pieter van den Hoogenband’s legend lives on

Svetlana Khorkina, the most successful Russian gymnast of all time, is now a driving force behind the top gymnastics club in Moscow.

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Where are they now? Svetlana Khorkina’s legend lives on

What are the odds of raising four children who all grow up to become talented taekwondo athletes?
Just ask Gergely Salim, who won gold when taekwondo was a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992, before coaching his uncle Josef Salim at Sydney 2000.
And what are the odds

Omar Salim hopes to win Hungary's first taekwondo medal by a male athlete at the Olympics.

Omar Salim: Inspired by his father, admired by Zlatan Ibrahimović

A month after your Olympic title at Atlanta 1996, you suffered a terrible motorbike accident&hellip;

David Douillet: “Over and above my titles, what I’ve taken is a message of hope” 

In Darling Harbour, a very busy traditional meeting place in the heart of Sydney that had become an Olympic venue, Freeman was everywhere\. Her figure was painted the full height of a glass tower by the US outfitter that was sponsoring her, and she also appeared on buses, with only

Sydney 2000: Crazy about Catherine

At Olympic Park in Homebush Bay, around 15 kilometres from the centre of Sydney, you had to walk up the Olympic Boulevard, go past the superb Olympic Stadium, cross Dawn Fraser Avenue and get to the Aquatic Centre to realise what was happening\. No need to strain your ears to

Sydney 2000: a look back at the incredible atmosphere in the Aquatic Centre

For most athletes heading to the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, visiting Australia was a chance to meet a local population with an international reputation for a warm, friendly welcome\. For pitcher Lisa Fernandez and the United States softball team, however, the land Down Under was considered &lsquo;enemy territory&rsquo;\.

Success, rivalry and provocation by postcard: the Olympic story of three-time softball champion Lisa Fernandez

Part of the award\-winning Five Rings Films documentary series, the Olympic Channel original film will premiere digitally on Wednesday, 3 June at olympicchannel\.com and on its apps for mobile and connected TV devices\.

Rulon Gardner Won’t Die - Olympic Channel Original film

Robert Korzeniowski appreciates that it can be a hard sell convincing the uninitiated that race walking is a rich, dynamic discipline well worth a look\. But listen to him speak and within a few minutes you may well find yourself heading out for a brisk 20km\.

Robert KORZENIOWSKI

Polish legend Korzeniowski hails “noble” discipline of race walking 

On Monday 25 September 2000, with cameras flashing on every side of the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, a vociferous crowd of more than 112,000 spectators roared on the home favourite, in a deafening atmosphere, in one of the most highly anticipated events of the Games of the XXVII Olympiad: the

Cathy Freeman at Sydney 2000: Moments of magic!

Khorkina is the subject of the Olympic Channel&rsquo;s fifth episode in the new season of Legends Live On, which will also feature athlete Hicham El Guerrouj, who won the 1,500/5,000m double at the Olympic Games in 2004, six\-time fencing champion Valentina Vezzali and Uschi Disl, winner of nine biathlon medals

All the world’s a stage for ‘diva’ Khorkina

Van den Hoogenband is the subject of the Olympic Channel&rsquo;s second episode in the new season of Legends Live On, which will also feature athlete Hicham El Guerrouj, who won the 1,500/5,000m double at the Olympic Games 2004; six\-time fencing champion Valentina Vezzali; and Uschi Disl, winner of nine biathlon

Van den Hoogenband shines bright during halcyon days in the pool

&ldquo;It is beginning to sink in,&rdquo; Freeman laughed\. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a coming\-of\-age thing for me, hitting my mid\-40s\. I can feel myself taking a bit more ownership of it all\. I am trying to say, &lsquo;C&rsquo;mon Catherine, c&rsquo;mon Freeman, it is what it is, celebrate it a bit, girl&rsquo;\.&rdquo;

Snapped: Cathy Freeman’s era-defining Sydney Olympic Games

It&rsquo;s a strange anomaly that I didn&rsquo;t go to an opening or closing ceremony until I was selected to carry the Irish flag at the Opening Ceremony of my third Olympics in 2000\. For my first and second Games, in 1992 and 1996, there was a variety of reasons why

Sonia O’Sullivan: “At the Opening Ceremony it really hits you that you’re at the Olympics.”

The great thing about track and field is that it comes in the second week of the Games so that means we have the opportunity to go to the Opening Ceremony because we have plenty of time to recover\. But the strange thing about being an athlete at the opening

Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie: “It felt like an out-of-body experience”

My first Olympic Games were in Moscow in 1980 and it was an absolute dream come true to be there\. I come from a humble family in Spain and so just to participate in the Olympic Games was an amazing thing\. What is even more remarkable is that my sister

Manuel Estiarte: “Going to the Closing Ceremony as Olympic champions was incredible”

To be at the Opening Ceremony in Atlanta in 1996 was pretty incredible\. I remember walking towards the entrance to the stadium and it was like everything was in slow motion\. There were thousands and thousands of people, and because we were on home turf, they were all screaming &ldquo;USA,

Cliff Meidl’s incredible journey from dicing with death to carrying the flag for his country

My first Olympic Games were in 1992 when I was only 19 years old and they were just amazing\. The Barcelona Games had something really special around them\- the feeling throughout the city was incredible\. The opening ceremony is a really special moment for every one of the athletes and

Fernando Platas: “A really special moment and a feeling I’ll remember forever”

Regarded as one of the greatest amateur heavyweights of his time and an undisputed star of Cuba’s famed boxing scene, Felix Savón travelled to Sydney 2000 in search of a third straight Olympic heavyweight title\.

Boxer Felix Savón signs off in Sydney with another fistful of gold

Sydney 2000 was the sixth Games of Merlene Ottey’s remarkable Olympic career\. It had begun 20 years earlier at Moscow 1980, where the pioneer of Jamaican women’s sprinting placed third in the 200m final behind East Germany’s Bärbel Wockel and the Soviet Union’s Natalya Bochina\. In doing so she became

Evergreen Merlene Ottey shines in Sydney

&ldquo;I come from Equatorial Guinea, a small country in the centre of Africa,&rdquo; explains Eric Moussambani, who emerged as an unlikely hero of the Olympic pool at Sydney 2000\. &ldquo;I started swimming when I left school\. We didn&rsquo;t have a swimming pool\. We didn&rsquo;t have anything, and I went to

Eric Moussambani: Sydney 2000 changed my life 

Prior to the Games he had turned down a lucrative deal to turn professional in order to pursue his Olympic dream\. Fifteen years on, in this exclusive video, the man known as ‘A\-Force’ recalls with incredible clarity each step of his Sydney adventure\.
At 1\.98m tall and weighing in at

Harrison proves A-Force to be reckoned with

Sydney 2000 came in the middle of what was without doubt the most productive phase of Venus Williams&rsquo; glittering career\. When she stepped out on the court at the Olympic Park for her first\-round tie against Slovakia&rsquo;s Henrieta Nagyov&agrave;, she did so as the reigning Wimbledon and US Open champion,

Venus in the ascendance to light up Sydney

In the first part of her career, US swimmer Dara Torres won four Olympic relay medals at three different Games\. She began her collection with a gold in the 4x100m freestyle at Los Angeles 1984, with two more medals coming her way at Seoul 1988: a silver in the 4x100m

Torres makes a golden comeback

However, by his own exalted standards, he underperformed\. In the qualifying round he finished only seventh and then just scraped into the final itself, where, having been penalised two points for protesting one of his scores, he ended up outside the medals\.
In his absence, the battle for victory quickly

Alifirenko outdoes shooting hero Schumann

She continued her success as part of the unified German team, winning gold and silver medals in both 1992 and 1996\. By the time she arrived in Australia she was 38\. Could she really keep her incredible run going?

Fischer maintains remarkable canoeing run

Krayzelburg had grown up in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, but had emigrated with his family to the USA when he was 13\. The family's early years in America were marked by financial difficulties and the teenager took a job as a lifeguard to boost the family income\. He also

Clean-sweeping Krayzelburg is backstroke king

They were both driven by the desire to win gold in front of their home fans in 2000\. To that end, they decided it wasn't enough to simply try to perfect their tactics and technique; they also needed to develop their winning mentality\.

Shelda BEDE

Host nation pip Brazil to beach volleyball glory

Aguida Amaral came 43th in the women's marathon but sent out a powerful message about perseverance and determination\. She was from East Timor, which had been devastated by 20 years of civil war\. In 1999, just a year before the Sydney Games, Aguida had fled from her home and lived

Extraordinary Amaral earns marathon ovation

But Australian athletes drew inspiration from competing in front of their own supporters, and it was no different for Fairweather\. However, few of his compatriots rose to the occasion with quite the confidence and panache that he managed\.

Archer Fairweather shines at last

It was carried around the stadium by six Australian sporting legends: Betty Cuthbert, Raelene Boyle, Dawn Fraser, Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Shane Gould and Debbie Flintoff\-King\. The latter then passed the flame on to one of the greatest legends of them all, Cathy Freeman\.

Felicia BALLANGER

Olympic flame ignites a Games to remember

Sydney&nbsp;marked the 10th anniversary of its highly successful Olympic Games, which opened on 15 September 2000, with daylong celebrations at Sydney Olympic Park\.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 15:  The Olympic Cauldron is pictured after being re-lit by Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games gold medallist Louise Sauvage and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games gold medallist Cathy Freeman as part of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Olympics at Sydney Olympic Park on September 15, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The celebrations included appearances from Olympians & Paralympians, opening ceremony recreation and the re-lighting of the Olympic Cauldron.  (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images for AOC)

Sydney celebrates 10th anniversary of Summer Games

However, his opponent in the final, Thailand's Wijan Ponlid, was an unknown quantity\. The southpaw had caused a few surprises when he won his opening bout, against Germany's Vardan Zakarjan\. Yet that was followed by another victory and then with a well\-deserved, points win over the former world champion Manuel

Thai hero Ponlid makes surprise run to flyweight title

The two teams had come up against each other earlier in the tournament, with the United States winning 85\-76\. It was the nearest that any team had come to beating the Americans since professional players joined the US squad and it sent out a clear message that Lithuania were not

Lithuania fall just short of huge basketball shock

Patrick Mboma had given the Cameroonians a first\-half lead that they were successfully defending with a quarter of an hour left, when midfielder Geremi was sent off after picking up his second yellow card\. Still they hung on, only for Aaron Nguimbat to be sent off in injury time\. Moments

Cameroon's footballers pull off a giant-killing

She returned again in 1988, finishing much further down the field, and then came fifth again in 1992, when many had expected her to make the podium, or even win\. In 1996, at her fourth attempt, she won a medal, taking the bronze thanks to a huge final throw\.

New javelin just the ticket for imperious Hattestad

The Jamaicans set the fastest time in qualifying while the Americans had won the gold medal in this relay at the previous four Games\. Yet both teams seemed to have slight flaws\.
In practice, the Jamaicans had not looked quite as smooth as normal, and there were suggestions of some

Bahamians click into gear for record-breaking relay gold

One day, she saw a poster for the Oxford University Modern Pentathlon club\. It was a sport she had never considered previously, but she decided to go along and find out more, and was hooked almost immediately\.

Cook times run to perfection in modern pentathlon

However, in Sydney there was a youngster competing right at the front of the field\. Ethiopia's Gezaahgne Abera was just 22 and had only been competing at international level for a year, having made his debut in the Los Angeles Marathon in 1999\. He finished fourth there, behind three Kenyan

Abera becomes youngest marathon champion since 1932

Ngeny came to Sydney to race in the 1,500m, knowing he would be pitted against one of the hottest favourites in history, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco\.

Ngeny outpaces stunned El Guerrouj

First up was the 20km in which his prospects were considered less strong\. As expected he faced a tough battle throughout, with Mexico's Bernardo Segura leading the challenge\. The two men were neck and neck as they approached the final stages, but Segura knew he had to be careful\. He

Korzeniowski battles to first walking double

However, like so many athletes before her, she found retirement to be a frustrating experience\. Two years later, halfway through the Olympic cycle, she came out of retirement to prepare for the Sydney Games, intent on defending her springboard title\.
In the intervening years, though, China had discovered a new

Fu retains springboard title after retirement u-turn

That was reflected in a personal best of 8\.35m &ndash; which was certainly very good, but nowhere near the distances being achieved by the likes of Pedroso\.
The Australian crowd loved him, though\. Taurima was half\-Maori, extrovert and blessed with a first name that had been taken from a Tarzan

Extrovert Taurima leaps to long jump silver

The regulations about which players would actually take part in the Olympic competition had changed\. The USA still could not call on players from its Major League teams so entered a squad of minor league players instead\. South Korea suspended its own league to boost the Olympic team while Japan

Americans break Cuba's baseball stranglehold

Yet she reminded everyone of her class in the qualifying round with a leap of 6\.84m, the longest of all the competitors\. May, Galkina and Kotova also all qualified with some ease, setting up a grandstand final\.

Drechsler proves long-jumping class is permanent

He had done so at the previous three editions of the Games, scoring 59 points and conceding precisely none\.

Gardner stuns heavyweight favourite Karelin

It was only in the late 1990s that she returned – healthy, fit and, once again, with a huge appetite for success\. More world championship titles followed and she was then able to turn her attention to the Olympics\.

Elements no match for treble-winning cyclist Zijlaard

Sydney 2000 - Stories Mosaic

Even before the official announcement, the boxer was celebrating her victory. It was a triumphant moment of success not only for her but more than 120 million people who have been forcibly displaced.
Cindy Ngamba’s bronze medal, the first-ever for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, served as a huge inspiration

Cindy Ngamba’s bronze medal, was the first-ever for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

2024 International Day of Peace: Memorable Olympic moments

Olympics.com caught up with the Bedel family from Denmark, laden with memorabilia from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 megastore on the Champs-Élysées, who will be in position to see a unique moment in Olympic history come the Opening Ceremony on 26 July.
Dad Matthias, mum Elisabeth and daughters Katrine, 13,

Olympic Games London 2012 opening ceremony

Fans at Paris 2024 cite favourite opening ceremony moments

WATCH: The People's Republic of China team performs on balance beam during the women's team final at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The squad earned a team total of 39.099 on the event, led by matching 9.800 marks from Ling Jie and Dong Fangxiao.

Olympic Games Sydney 2000

Sydney 2000Stories

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2024 International Day of Peace: Memorable Olympic moments

Fans at Paris 2024 cite favourite opening ceremony moments

Team China competes on beam during the Sydney 2000 team final

Team Canada competes on floor during qualifying at Sydney 2000

All of Dominique Dawes' Olympic uneven bars routines