Katrina Powell knew exactly what it meant. Cathy Freeman had just won gold in the 400m - etching herself in Australian sporting folklore at her home Olympics.

The Hockeyroos knew exactly what they needed to do. Come hell or high water, they would win gold themselves to honour Freeman's inspirational performance.

"She was quite inspirational for the rest of the Olympic team as well, I don't think we've talked about that very much as Australians," Powell said, 20 years on this week from the Hockeyroos' gold-medal winning efforts.

"She's an inspirational Indigenous woman, absolutely, but the inspiration that the rest of the Australian team felt when she did that, how happy we were when she lit the flame in the cauldron, and then for her to be able to perform under that pressure, it just leaves you with no excuses.

"When Cathy won, it felt like we were there because we were playing at exactly that time and we could hear the cheer from Stadium Australia.

"You're concentrating on your own Olympic event but I remember thinking 'Ohh, I'm pretty sure Cathy just won'."

How loud was the roar when Freeman claimed gold in that iconic 400m race?

Consider this. As the crow flies, it's almost an entire kilometre from the stadium down to where the Hockeyroos were carving out back-to-back Olympic gold medals.

As it happened, Powell and her seemingly invincible teammates crushed The Netherlands 5-0, en route to a 3-1 win over Las Leonas of Argentina in the final four days later.

It backed up their efforts in Atlanta four years prior, but for Powell winning gold on home soil was easily her greatest achievement.

"Being at home, in front of many many more friends and family in Sydney just was, it was almost like does it get any better than this?," Powell said.

"I still feel really lucky that the stars aligned for us to be that good a team at the time, with that good a support staff and to have a home Olympics at that time.

"Atlanta was really my first major tournament as well, I was really young. There were definitely more senior players in the group and I had that freedom just to play, loved it and had fun.

"At Sydney I felt a bit more part of the team."

Powell's Olympics journey started at St Pat's in Canberra - a club her younger sister Michelle still represents.

She moved to Perth as a young adult to train at the national hockey centre, and four years later found herself a fresh-faced 24-year-old representing her country alongside older sister Lisa at the Atlanta Olympics.

Four years further on she found herself standing in the tunnel of the Sydney 2000 opening ceremony, an experience which still makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up 20 years on.

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"In Atlanta we didn't even get to go to the opening ceremony because we played I think 11am [the next morning] - it's a late night and just an exhausting experience going to an opening ceremony," Powell said.

"We were in the tunnel for a long time. Even once the Australians had started walking out, you could feel the roar that had been created with the start of the team, it was deafening.

"You just have to know that your family's in the crowd because there's no way you'll ever see them or pick them out in that crowd. It was like the whole of Australia was there, it really felt quite amazing and we were very well supported right from the start."

The Hockeyroos featured prominently in the opening ceremony, with captain Rechelle Hawkes entrusted with reading the Athletes' Olympic Oath.

"Rechelle Hawkes was reading the Oath for the athletes and how nervous she was and how nervous that made the rest of us," Powell said.

"Imagine just standing out there knowing that a billion people are going to watch you speak. It made us feel like we were really part of it.

"Obviously you're one of the athletes and you're out there and the show's being put on but Rechelle was part of that show. She was relieved, that's why she punched the air, just getting it done and getting it out."

Powell, and her all-conquering Hockeyroos teammates inspired a new generation of female hockey players, including Canberra star Anna Flanagan.

"She was my hockey idol," Flanagan said.

"I had her poster on my wall ... I know the importance of looking up to someone because I looked up to these people so much. With Katrina being from Canberra and being so successful, she really inspired me and a lot of people."