Natalie you Toit
Natalie du Toit (born January 29, 1984 in Cape Town ) is a former South African swimmer .
Career
At the age of 14, she took part in international competitions at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur . In February 2001, she partially lost her left leg , which had to be amputated from the knee down after a traffic accident . In May of the same year she started swimming again, which she completed without a prosthesis despite the amputation .
During the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester , she won two competitions for disabled athletes . In addition, she qualified for the final of the 800 meter freestyle of the non-disabled athletes, a unique achievement at the time. During the closing ceremony, she was recognized as the Outstanding Athlete of the Games. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens , she won five gold medals and one silver medal. Two years later she repeated her success from Manchester with two wins at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne .
On May 3, 2008 she qualified with a fourth place at the world championships in long-distance swimming over ten kilometers for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , where this discipline is part of the Olympic program for the first time. This makes Natalie du Toit one of the most successful disabled athletes of all time and the first female athlete with an amputation to qualify for participation in the Olympic Games . She was the flag bearer of the South African team at the opening ceremony and took 16th place in her discipline.
Natalie du Toit also took part in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing , where she won the 50, 100 and 400 meter freestyle as well as the 100 meter butterfly and the 200 meter medley five gold medals . She achieved three world and two Paralympic records.
At the 2011 African Games she won the 100 meter freestyle.
At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London , she won gold medals in the 100 meter butterfly, the 200 meter medley and the 400 meter freestyle. She also won a silver medal in the 100 meters freestyle. After the end of these Paralympic Games, she ended her sporting career.
In 2009 she received the Order of Ikhamanga in gold.
Web links
- Natalie du Toit in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
- Natalie du Toit Official Website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Results of the 2012 Summer Paralympics
- ↑ Paralympics 2012: Natalie du Toit walks away from the Games with a silver lining and a parting shot , September 7, 2012, The Daily Telegraph
- ↑ Report to southafrica.info ( memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed June 16, 2014
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Toit, Natalie you |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South African swimmer, disabled athlete |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 29, 1984 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cape Town , South Africa |