Cathy Freeman was seen on crutches and struggling with a painful leg complaint as she stunned the Matildas on a surprise tour.
Freeman stuns emotional Matildas on visit Sporting legend appears on crutches Freeman sits with legs elevated during visit
Australian Olympic icon Cathy Freeman made a surprise visit to the Matildas’ camp on the eve of the Women’s World Cup – and was seen battling a painful foot injury.
Many players, including captain Sam Kerr and Aboriginal stars Kiah Simon and Lydia Williams, cite Freeman’s incredible gold medal 400m run at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a defining moment in their childhood.
Last Wednesday, while preparing to play France in Melbourne, the players had what they thought was a strategy meeting with coach Tony Gustavsson – only to be shocked when Freeman entered the room on a pair of crutches.
“He mentioned that a tournament like this requires a lot of strategy, it requires a lot of belief and a lot of heart, and so we’re going to do something a little bit different,” veteran defender Avi Luik told reporters on Tuesday.
‘They played about a three-minute highlight reel on YouTube of Kathy Freeman’s race moments and by the end of it, there was a lot of emotion in the room.
Olympic icon Cathy Freeman paid a surprise visit to the Matildas’ camp last week
‘When they turned on the lights, we turned around and there he was.
‘It was a huge surprise for us. Many of the girls were very emotional.’
The indigenous middle-distance runner appeared in the room on crutches and later sitting with his left leg elevated.
Freeman suffered a number of injuries during his illustrious athletics career, but the cause of his current complaint is unknown.
Players freely asked Freeman questions in a meeting Luick compared to a chat with a friend.
‘She’s such a down-to-earth girl, she’s amazing. I still can’t believe it happened,’ said the 38-year-old.
‘Cause a few years ago we were going through some questions about who your sporting hero is and why – and over half the team said Cathy Freeman was their hero.
‘Cause the staff tried to take him in and bless his heart, he came in.
Freeman had to use crutches to get around at team meetings and was seen sitting with his left leg elevated.
Freeman faced huge expectations from the Australian public at the 2000 Games – making him an ideal adviser to the Matildas as they face the same buzz at the World Cup.
‘He doesn’t do a lot of public speaking, but he did it for us.’
Like Freeman in 2000, the Matildas will feel the pressure, support and expectation of a nation behind them at the World Cup.
‘(Freeman) talked about how he dealt with the pressure because obviously he had the weight of the nation on his shoulders and he’s just one – and we’re a whole team,’ Luik said.
‘We came away with that feeling of a bit of a weight off our shoulders and completely inspired.’
Less than 48 hours later, the Matildas played in front of 50,629 fans at the Marvel Stadium – securing victory over highly rated France.
The Matildas will take on Ireland in the opening match of the World Cup at the stadium in Sydney, Australia from 8 pm on Thursday.