Donna Fraser: my greatest race

After training with Cathy Freeman in the lead-up to an unforgettable race, the British sprinter ran a PB by almost half a second but just missed out on a medal

Olympic Games, Sydney – September 25 2000 – Women’s 400m final , fourth place, 49.79 (PB)

I had an interesting journey leading into 2000 because, after the Commonwealth Games in the winter of 1998, I got injured in one of my first training sessions. The plan had been for me to move up to the 400m hurdles but that injury completely scuppered the idea, so I spent most of 1999 trying to get fit again, get my ankle strong, make the team for the World Championships and use that as a stepping stone for 2000.

When you’re out of the sport, to get race fit is the hardest part so I went through the motions, knowing that I wasn’t at my best, but I had to do it. I wasn’t winning races in 1999 at all. It was just really heartbreaking, sometimes getting beaten up by everybody I should have easily been beating, but I knew where I was at in my mind.

I started out the next year with a different mindset. I was fitter again and then I had the opportunity to train with Cathy Freeman that summer. My coach at the time, Ayo Falola, liked to think outside the box and grab any opportunity but this was all arranged behind the scenes without me knowing. It was definitely a bit of a whirlwind. I learned so much in that time – not only just about how she trained and her work ethic, but also about me as an individual and what my talent was.

My British team-mate Katharine Merry and I trained a lot together, too. We had such a fun relationship anyway but we never spoke about Sydney that whole summer, we just got on with our training, and I think that probably helped her as well, because it alleviated some of the pressure she felt.

Because Sydney wasn’t my first Olympics, I knew what to expect. I knew how to manage the excitement. I had faith in the Australians delivering the Games very well, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. We had a holding camp in Brisbane, and that was fantastic. Everything was just going according to the plan and, seeing Cathy at the Games themselves, in the call room, we just were like any other time. There was always that deadly silence in the call room, where there was a lot of tension, but we had that level of respect between us, which was great.

However, I wish I’d had Cathy’s ability. I was definitely in the best position I could have been in,…