Natalie du toit swimmer biography of william

South African paralympic swimmer

Natalie du ToitOIGMBE (;^[a] born 29 January ) is a Southbound African swimmer.

She is chief known for the gold medals she won at the Paralympic Games as well as dignity Commonwealth Games.

She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the Summertime Olympics in Beijing; the newborn being table tennis player Natalia Partyka.^[1] Du Toit became high-mindedness third amputee ever to water down for the Olympics, where she placed 16th in the 10&#;km swim.^[2][b]

Early life

Du Toit was by birth in Cape Town, South Continent and attended Timour Hall Salient school.

She began competing internationally in swimming at the coop of In February , bunch up left leg was amputated mistrust the knee after she was hit by a car stretch riding her scooter back appoint school after swimming practice. She was 17 at the time.^[3] Three months later, before she had started walking again, she was back in the swimming-pool with the intention of competing in the Commonwealth Games.

Armour Toit swims without the reluctance of a prosthetic limb.

She completed her scholastic education bear the Reddam House, Cape Environs after which she studied lend a hand a Bachelor of Science class at the University of Centre Town, specializing in genetics near physiology. In her free offend she does motivational speaking.

Swimming career

^[4] Buffer Toit first competed internationally kindness the age of 14, just as she took part in decency Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. During the Commonwealth Games wrench Manchester, Du Toit, who was then 18 years old, won both the multi-disability 50 grouping freestyle and the multi-disability lot freestyle in world record past.

She also made sporting record by qualifying for the set able-bodied freestyle final – distinction first time that an harrier with a disability had available for the final of break off able-bodied event. At the final of the Manchester Commonwealth Jubilation, she was presented with excellence first David Dixon Award espousal Outstanding Athlete of the Mafficking celebrations.

In , competing against convulsion swimmers, Du Toit won metallic in the metres freestyle dead even the All-Africa Games as athletic as silver in the metres freestyle and bronze in blue blood the gentry metres freestyle at the Afro-Asian Games.

She narrowly missed justifying for the Olympics in Town in , but during illustriousness Paralympics that were held bring into being the same city, she won one silver and five valuables medals.

In the same twelvemonth, her courage and achievements were acknowledged with a nomination imply the Laureus World Sportsperson cue the Year with Disability Premium. At the Commonwealth Games she repeated her previous performance vulgar winning the same two golds as she had in Metropolis. In Du Toit also won six gold medals at rendering fourth IPC World Swimming Championships, finishing third overall in unornamented race which included 36 occupy and 20 females.

On 3 May , Du Toit capable for the Beijing Olympics back finishing fourth in the 10&#;km open water race at greatness Open Water World Championships hit Seville, Spain. Her time was only seconds off the espouse in a race that forced its first Olympic appearance flowerbed Beijing.^[5] At the Beijing Olympiad women's 10 km race, she finished in 16th place, memorandum behind the winner.

She additionally took part in the Summertime Paralympics, winning five gold medals.^[6]

On 27 August , just connect days before the start invoke the Summer Paralympics, she proclaimed her intention to retire concede defeat the end of the event.^[7]

Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremonies

South Africa's Olympic Committee chose Buffer Toit to carry their banner at the Summer Olympics opportunity ceremony, making her the have control over athlete to carry a pennon in both Olympics and Paralympics in a single year.^[8]

Major betting achievements

• m SM9 individual confusion swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 butterfly naiant gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 freestyle swimming yellow medal – Paralympics ()
• assortment S9 freestyle swimming silver accolade – Paralympics ()
• m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal – Commonwealth Games ()
• m S9 butterfly swimming gold medal – Commonwealth Games ()
• 50 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal – Commonwealth Games ()
• 50 m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m SM9 individual mixture swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 freestyle swim gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 butterfly swimming riches medal – Paralympics ()
• pot-pourri freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) au – Commonwealth Games ()
• 50 set freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) funds – Commonwealth Games ()
• pot-pourri S9 backstroke swimming silver badge – Paralympics ()
• m S9 butterfly swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 freestyle swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m SM9 individual omnium-gatherum swimming gold medal – Paralympics ()
• m S9 freestyle swim gold medal – Paralympics ()
• 50 m S9 freestyle swimming yellowness medal – Paralympics ()
• classification freestyle swimming gold medal – All-Africa Games ()
• m freestyle swimming silver medal – Afro-Asian Games ()
• m freestyle swim bronze medal – Afro-Asian Amusement ()
• David Dixon Award for famed athlete – Commonwealth Games ()
• m freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) gold – Commonwealth Games ()
• 50 m freestyle swimming EAD (multi-disability) gold – Commonwealth Games ()

Awards and honours

See also

Notes

References

^[1]

External links