Natalie du Toit OIG MBE (; born 29 January 1984) is a South African

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the

2004 Paralympic Games ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olym ...

as well as the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the ex ...

. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

in Beijing; the other being table tennis player

Natalia Partyka Natalia Dorota Partyka (born 27 July 1989) is a Polish table tennis player. Born without a right hand and forearm, she participates in competitions for able-bodied athletes as well as in competitions for athletes with disabilities. Partyka reach ...

. Du Toit became the third amputee ever to qualify for the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

, where she placed 16th in the 10K, "Marathon", swim.

Early life

Du Toit was born in

Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

and attended Timour Hall Primary school. She began competing internationally in swimming at the age of 14. In February 2001 her left leg was

amputated Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indiv ...

at the knee after she was hit by a car while riding her scooter back to school after swimming practice. She was 17 at the time. 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 The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

. Du Toit swims without the aid of a prosthetic limb. She completed her scholastic education at the

Reddam House Reddam House is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, day school, located in Woollahra (pre-school to Year 9) and North Bondi (Years 10 to 12), both Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Reddam House was acquire ...

, Cape Town after which she studied for a

Bachelor of Science degree A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, specializing in

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...

and

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

. 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 The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. During the 2002 Commonwealth Games in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, 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 David Dixon Award is a four-yearly award given to the outstanding athlete of each Commonwealth Games, based on their performance at the event, fair play, and overall contribution to their team's participation at the Commonwealth Games. The award wa ...

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 The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union (AU) with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (AN ...

as well as silver in the 800 metres freestyle and bronze in the 400 metres freestyle at the

Afro-Asian Games The Afro-Asian Games were the series of inter-continental multi-sport competitions, held between athletes from Asia and Africa. These Games are one-of-a-kind, since no other sporting competition brings athletes from these two continents together ...

. She narrowly missed qualifying for the

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

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 The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

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 Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. Her time was only 5.1 seconds off the winner in a race that made its first Olympic appearance in Beijing. 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 The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was f ...

, winning five gold medals. 13 June 2008 On 27 August 2012, just three days before the start of the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Ga ...

, she announced her intention to retire at the end of the event.

2008 Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremonies

South Africa's

Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

chose Du Toit to carry their flag at the

2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the ''Bird's Nest''. It began at 20:00 China Standard Time ( UTC+08:00) on Friday, 8 August 2008, as the number 8 is considered to be auspicious. ...

, making her the first athlete to carry a flag in both Olympics and

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

in a single year.

Major sporting achievements

*200 m SM9 individual medley swimming gold medal – Paralympics (2012) *100 m S9 butterfly swimming gold medal – Paralympics (2012) *400 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal – Paralympics (2012) *100 m S9 freestyle swimming silver medal – Paralympics (2012) *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) *

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". * Du Toit was voted 48th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004 by the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

. * She won the

Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award The Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award is named after South Korean Dr. Whang Youn Dai, who contracted polio at the age of three. She devoted her life to the development of paralympic sport in Korea and around the world. At the 1988 Paralympic Summe ...

in 2008. * In December 2009 she received the

Order of Ikhamanga The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports (which were initially recognised b ...

in Gold "for her exceptional achievements in swimming." * 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". *In

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, she was made an

Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) for services to Paralympic sport.Honorary appointments
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Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Du Toit, Natalie 1984 births African Games gold medalists for South Africa African Games medalists in swimming Afrikaner people Amputee category Paralympic competitors Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Competitors at the 2003 All-Africa Games South African female backstroke swimmers South African female butterfly swimmers South African female freestyle swimmers Female long-distance swimmers Living people Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Olympic swimmers of South Africa Paralympic gold medalists for South Africa Paralympic silver medalists for South Africa Paralympic swimmers of South Africa Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga S9-classified Paralympic swimmers South African amputees South African female swimmers Sportspeople from Cape Town Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics University of Cape Town alumni World record holders in paralympic swimming Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Paralympic medalists in swimming Alumni of Wynberg Girls' High School Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire