TV sport icon Bruce McAvaney makes stunning career move aged 71 - and names the young Aussie athlete who's on track to be BETTER than Cathy Freeman

He has been the voice for a staggering 12 Summer Olympic Games, now Australia's undisputed king of sports calling is taking on a new career and anointing the next Cathy Freeman in the process. He has just signed a fresh two-year deal with Channel Seven to call athletics, which is experiencing its biggest boom since Cathy Freeman famously won the 400m gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Bruce McAvaney will return to Channel 7 to commentate Australian Athletics for the next two years after a stint with the ABC to call the Olympics Cathy Freeman is regarded as Australia's best track talent of all time following her gold medal run in the 400 metres at the Sydney Olympics McAvaney explained he was lured into calling the athletics meets over the next two years because he believes the country is headed for another golden era. The 2000 Sydney Olympics reignited this legacy, highlighted by Cathy Freeman's iconic 400m gold medal, a moment of national unity and pride. 'From Cathy Freeman's win in Sydney 2000 to Nina Kennedy flying to gold in Paris, Australians have long connected with the sport's greatest moments, and we are delighted that this deal will ensure that athletics will continue to be shared and enjoyed by all Australians during this golden era.'