TV sports icon Bruce McAvaney makes a stunning career move at the age of 71 – and names the young Australian athlete on track to be BETTER than Cathy Freeman

He was the voice for no fewer than twelve Summer Olympics, now Australia’s undisputed king of sport is taking on a new career and anointing the next Cathy Freeman in the process.

Bruce McAvaney, 71, shows no signs of slowing down after a long career spanning horse racing, AFL grand finals, Australian Open tennis, rugby, test cricket and of course the Olympics.

He has just signed a new two-year contract with Channel Seven to call athletics, which is enjoying its biggest boom since Cathy Freeman famously won the 400m gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

It comes after McAvaney stunned sports fans by retiring and calling AFL matches again at the end of the 2024 season.

It was the first time he played the sport since 2021, after a career that spanned more than 1,000 matches.

It will also be a welcome return for McAvaney, who jumped to the ABC for the Paris Olympics after 30 years at Channel 7.

Bruce McAvaney returns to Channel 7 to commentate on Australian athletics for the next two years after a stint at the ABC calling the Olympics

Cathy Freeman is considered Australia’s best track talent of all time after her gold medal in the 400 meters at the Sydney Olympics

McAvaney explained that he was lured into organizing the athletics meets for the next two years because he believes the country is moving towards a new golden age.

“I can’t remember a more exciting time in Australian athletics,” he said.

‘Our team’s performance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest was surpassed by what happened a few months ago in Paris and then supported by an extraordinary result at the World Juniors in Peru.

“Our athletes demand the world’s attention, and I am confident the sport is entering a golden age.”

The 1950s and 1960s marked Australia’s golden age of athletics, with stars such as Betty Cuthbert, Herb Elliott, Shirley Strickland and Ron Clarke achieving international success and inspiring future generations.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics revived this legacy, culminating in Cathy Freeman’s iconic gold medal in the 400 meters, a moment of national unity and pride.

Freeman wasn’t the only Australian track and field star that year, with Tatiana Grigorieva’s silver in the pole vault and the emergence of hurdler Jana Pittman demonstrating the country’s athletic talent on home soil.

Today, Australia is entering a new golden age, led by the emergence of an outstanding crop of young athletes.

Rising star Gout Gout appears to be even better than Cathy Freeman, McAvaney said

Gout Gout has been compared to Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt at the same age

Telaya Blacksmith, Mason McGroder, Sebastian Sultana and Sam Clifford are already breaking records.

But the competitor McAvaney believes will be bigger than anyone who came before him is Queensland’s Gout Gout.

His record 200m time of 20.29 seconds at just 16 years old has drawn comparisons with Usain Bolt at the same age and McAvaney believes he has just as high a ceiling, perhaps even higher.

“Has anyone been more exciting?” McAvaney told News Corp.

“Freeman was, but he’s at a more mature stage than Cathy was at 16 in terms of what he does.

“We’ve never had anyone like him and the potential is unique in this country, I think.”

The new deal with McAvaney extends a partnership between Athletics Australia and Channel 7 that was forged in 2021 ahead of the Paris Olympics.

“Australian athletics has come a long way since the partnership began in 2021 and it is very exciting to have Seven back on board as a partner as we enter a new era for our sport,” said Simon Hollingsworth, CEO of Athletics Australia.

‘From Cathy Freeman’s victory in Sydney 2000 to Nina Kennedy flying to gold in Paris, Australians have long been associated with sport’s greatest moments, and we’re thrilled this deal will ensure athletics continues will continue to be shared and enjoyed by all Australians during this period. golden age.’