Aussie 20-year-old phenom betters Cathy Freeman record
One of Australia's most memorable sporting moments is Cathy Freeman's 400m Gold Medal at the Sydney Olympic Games.
The nation, and the world, watched on as Freeman pulled away from Lorraine Graham and Katharine Merry to clinch gold and etch her name into Australian folklore.
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And one young Aussie is looking to emulate Freeman's glory on the biggest stage.
Young 20-year-old Bendere Oboya competed at Sydney Olympic Park on the weekend and achieved something special.
Bendere Oboya clocked 51.61 in the 400m
▪️third fastest time behind her two World Champs performances in Doha
▪️in the last 12 years only Anneliese Rubie once has run quicker in Australia
▪️just outside Olympic qualifier pic.twitter.com/3ZB0p1jcun— David Tarbotton (@David_Tarbotton) March 7, 2021
Oboya won the 400m NSW Women's Championship after she finished ahead of Aussie champ and Olympic finalist Annaleise Ruby.
But what made it more incredible is her time of 51.61 seconds, which is the second fastest time in the world in 2021.
Only current world champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, 26, has bettered that time in 2021.
Oboya's looking at Tokyo Olympics glory
To put it into perspective, she has run a faster time than Cathy Freeman and 1964 Olympic winner Betty Cuthbert when they were 20 years old.
The state championship run was also her third fastest time after her two runs at the World Championships in Doha.
Freeman was 27-years-old when she won her gold medal with a time of 49.11 seconds.
After the race, Oboya acknowledged she needed to run 51 seconds in the Tokyo semi-final if she is to qualify for the final.
She also added that trainer, John Quinn, was helping her back up the runs.
This is because she will most likely have to run even faster if she is to replicate Cathy Freeman and clinch gold at the Olympics.
Oboya hasn't lost to a fellow Australian over that distance in three years and will be favourite to win another National title in Sydney next month.
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