Twenty-five years ago, Cathy Freeman was in Lane 6 at Sydney Olympic Park before a crowd of 112,000, waiting to complete the biggest 400m race of her career.
In 49.11 seconds, she etched her name into Olympic history.
The Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba sprinter already earned titles at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships but never captured the Olympic gold.
After winning silver in Atlanta in 1996, Freeman was determined to go one better and Sydney was the perfect place.
Freeman lit the Olympic torch on opening night in a moment linked to the reconciliation movement as all Australians reflected on the trauma of the Stolen Generations.
On the night of 25 September, France's Marie José Pérec, Freeman's rival was absent, having withdrawn from the competition days earlier.
All focus turned to the Freeman in her distinctive green-and-gold full-body suit.
She later recalled the plan she carried to the blocks.
"Fly out of the blocks, leg spin in the third 100, attack in the third 100, go for it in the fourth 100," she told NITV.
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As she hit the home straight, trailing briefly behind Jamaica's Lorraine Graham and Britain's Katharine Merry, Freeman surged ahead.
She crossed the line three metres clear of the competition sparking scenes of celebration across the country.
"The initial feeling is always a bit of huge disbelief," Freeman told NITV recently.
"Just like that 25 years has slipped through my fingertips."
She credited the belief instilled in her by others.
"My strict Romanian coach said to me 'Catherine you'll be signing autographs one day'," she said.
"My step-dad encouraged me to aspire to greatness which was very unusual for a Murri kid.
"I just trusted in what the words were and who the words were coming from."
After sitting quietly on the track, Freeman rose and completed her lap of honour with both the Australian and Aboriginal flags.
The image became one of the defining moments of the Olympic Games.
A quarter of a century later, her run remains a lasting symbol of unity, resilience and pride.
