- Natalie du Toit
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Natalie du Toit Personal information Nationality South Africa Born January 29, 1984
Cape Town, South AfricaSport Sport Swimming Stroke(s) Butterfly, backstroke, freestyle, breaststroke Medal recordCompetitor for South Africa Women's Swimming All-Africa Games Gold 2003 Abuja 800 m Freestyle Paralympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle S9 Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle S9 Gold 2008 Beijing 400 m freestyle S9 Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m butterfly S9 Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m individual medley SM9 Gold 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle S9 Gold 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle S9 Gold 2004 Athens 400 m freestyle S9 Gold 2004 Athens 100 m butterfly S9 Gold 2004 Athens 200 m individual medley SM9 Silver 2004 Athens 100 m backstroke S9 Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester 50 m freestyle EAD Gold 2002 Manchester 100 m freestyle EAD Gold 2006 Melbourne 50 m freestyle EAD Gold 2006 Melbourne 100 m freestyle EAD Gold 2010 Delhi 50 m freestyle EAD Gold 2010 Delhi 100 m freestyle EAD Gold 2010 Delhi 100 m butterfly EAD Natalie du Toit (pronounced /dʉˈtɔɪ/;[1] born January 29, 1984) is a South African swimmer. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; the other being table tennis player Natalia Partyka.[2] Du Toit became the first amputee ever to qualify for the Olympics, where she placed 16th in the 10K, "Marathon", swim.[3][4]
Contents
Early life
Natalie was born in Cape Town, South Africa and attended Wynberg Girls' High School. She began competing internationally in swimming at the age of 14. In February 2001 her left leg was amputated at the knee after she was hit by a car while riding her scooter back to school after swimming practice.[5] Three months later, before she had started walking again, she was back in the pool with the intention of competing in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Du Toit swims without the aid of a prosthetic limb.
She completed her scholastic education at the Reddam House in Cape Town after which she studied for a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Cape Town, specializing in genetics and physiology. In her free time she does motivational speaking.
Swimming career
Du Toit first competed internationally at the age of 14, when she took part in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. During the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Du Toit, who was then 18 years old, won both the multi-disability 50 m freestyle and the multi-disability 100 m freestyle in world record time. She also made sporting history by qualifying for the 800 m able-bodied freestyle final - the first time that an athlete with a disability had qualified for the final of an able-bodied event. At the closing of the Manchester Commonwealth Games, she was presented with the first David Dixon Award for Outstanding Athlete of the Games.
In 2003, competing against able-bodied swimmers, Du Toit won gold in the 800 metres freestyle at the All-Africa Games as well as silver in the 800 metres freestyle and bronze in the 400 metres freestyle at the Afro-Asian Games.
She narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in Athens in 2004, but during the Paralympics that were held in the same city, she won one silver and five gold medals. In the same year, her courage and achievements were acknowledged with a nomination for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year 2004 with Disability Award. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games she repeated her previous performance by winning the same two golds as she had in Manchester. In 2006 Du Toit also won six gold medals at the fourth IPC World Swimming Championships, finishing third overall in a race which included 36 males and 20 females.
On 3 May 2008, Du Toit qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics after finishing fourth in the 10 km open water race at the Open Water World Championships in Seville, Spain. Her time was only 5.1 seconds off the winner in a race that made its first Olympic appearance in Beijing.[6] At the Beijing Olympics women's 10 km race, she finished in 16th place, 1:22.2 minutes behind the winner. She also took part in the 2008 Summer Paralympics, winning 5 Gold Medals.[7]
2008 Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremonies
South Africa's Olympic Committee chose Du Toit to carry their flag at the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, making her the first athlete to carry a flag in both Olympics and Paralympics in a single year.[8]
Major sporting achievements
- 100 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Commonwealth Games (2010)
- 100 m S9 butterfly swimming gold medal - Commonwealth Games (2010)
- 50 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Commonwealth Games (2010)
- 50 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2008)
- 400 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2008)
- 200 m SM9 individual medley swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2008)
- 100 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2008)
- 100 m S9 butterfly swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2008)
- 100 m freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) gold – Commonwealth Games (2006)
- 50 m freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) gold - Commonwealth Games (2006)
- 100 m S9 backstroke swimming silver medal – Paralympics (2004)
- 100 m S9 butterfly swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2004)
- 100 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2004)
- 200 m SM9 individual medley swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2004)
- 400 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2004)
- 50 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal - Paralympics (2004)
- 800 m freestyle swimming gold medal - All-Africa Games (2003)
- 800 m freestyle swimming silver medal - Afro-Asian Games (2003)
- 400 m freestyle swimming bronze medal - Afro-Asian Games (2003)
- David Dixon Award for outstanding athlete – Commonwealth Games (2002)
- 100 m freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) gold – Commonwealth Games (2002)
- 50 m freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) gold - Commonwealth Games (2002)
Awards and honours
In August 2002 she was awarded the Western Cape Golden Cross. During the award ceremony Western Cape Premier Marthinus van Schalkwyk said she had gone "beyond gold and swam her way into the hearts of not only South Africans but the whole world".[9]
Du Toit was voted 48th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004 by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
In December 2009 she received the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold "for her exceptional achievements in swimming."[10]
On 10 March 2010, she was awarded the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for "breaking down the barriers between disabled and able-bodied sport".[11]
See also
- George Eyser
- Natalia Partyka
- Athletes with most gold medals in one event at the Paralympic Games
- List of paralympic athletes that have competed in the Paralympics and Olympics]]
References
- ^ Interview with Natalie du Toit, "African Voices", aired 14 May 2011 on CNN International. Her name is said several times by an announcer (but not by du Toit herself).
- ^ Two Paralympians competed in Olympics, oandp.com; retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ Dreams carry Natalie Du Toit to Beijing - Olympics News - Telegraph
- ^ George Eyser, who had a wooden leg, competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics; the circumstances of Eyser's participation in the Games are unknown. Poland's Natalia Partyka also competed at both the Olympics and the Paralympics in Beijing, in table tennis.
- ^ Official site
- ^ ESPN report
- ^ "Du Toit to make history at Games", BBC, June 13, 2008
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.iol.co.za/general/avant_newsview.php?click_id=4&art_id=ct20020826212416761N340486&set_id=1
- ^ http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20091202221846636C634040
- ^ http://www.laureus.com/press_releases?article_id=1975
External links
- Official homepage
- "Natalie du Toit", n°100 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
Awards and achievements Preceded by
Daniel DiasLaureus World Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year
2010Succeeded by
Verena BenteleOlympic Games Preceded by
Mbulaeni MulaudziFlagbearer for 
South Africa
Beijing 2008Succeeded by
TBDCategories:- 1984 births
- Living people
- Long-distance swimmers
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa
- Olympic swimmers of South Africa
- Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Paralympic swimmers of South Africa
- Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for South Africa
- Paralympic silver medalists for South Africa
- South African amputees
- South African swimmers
- Afrikaner people
- White South African people
- South African people of Huguenot descent
- People from Cape Town
- University of Cape Town alumni
- World record holders in paralympic swimming
- Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Swimmers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Swimming World World Disabled Swimmers of the Year
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