- Announced separation in August
- Has been rarely spotted in public since
- Was seen in Melbourne with a telling health issue
Cathy Freeman has been spotted once again using a cane to get around following the shock announcement of her split from her husband James Murch.
The couple announced their decision to separate in August after 15 years of marriage.
They also confirmed they would maintain their professional collaboration through Estrella Sports Management, requesting privacy.
Freeman, 51, who values her privacy highly, has not been seen much since the announcement.
However, she was photographed on the weekend on a chilly Melbourne afternoon, wearing a large puffy jacket while walking with a friend along a running track.
Despite being spotted without her cane in July, she has since resumed using it for mobility.
The Olympic champion ruptured her Achilles tendon at home last year, requiring surgery.
Freeman’s personal life has seen many twists and turns over the years.
Freeman was spotted walking around a Melbourne race track with a friend on the weekend
The Olympic superstar was using a cane to help her walk again after previously moving freely without it
She was previously in a long-term relationship with her athletics coach, Nic Bideau, who played a pivotal role in her 2000 Olympics success.
Her first marriage was to Alexander ‘Sandy’ Bodecker from 1999 to 2003, followed by a relationship with actor Joel Edgerton, which ended in 2005.
Freeman then married Murch in 2009, and they welcomed their daughter, Ruby, in 2011.
Her sporting career, which she concluded in 2003, remains a highlight of her life.
Winning the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was a crowning achievement, though she later expressed regret for not competing in the 800m.
It comes after Freeman announced her split from husband James Murch in August
‘After retirement I realise now that I had a really big appetite for the 800m, so stepping to a two-lap event up from a one-lap event,’ she said.
‘I would have loved, loved, loved to have given the 800m a real crack.’
Post-retirement, Freeman established the Cathy Freeman Foundation, dedicated to supporting Indigenous students.
She also served as an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation until 2012.