'Make your dreams reality'

2008-08-20 09:01

Beijing - South Africa's Natalie du Toit says she wants to inspire others to realise their dreams after fulfilling her ambition to compete at the Olympic Games despite having her leg amputated seven years ago.

The 24-year-old finished 16th in the women's 10km marathon swim on Wednesday, prompting gold medal winner Larisa Ilchenko, from Russia, to insist Du Toit deserved a medal just for competing.

Having lost her lower left leg in a motor accident on the way to training in her home city of Cape Town, the South African, who won six medals in the Athens pool at the 2004 Paralympics, said it had been emotional to be an Olympian.

"I have had this dream since I was six years old," said Du Toit.

"I think for me to come to an Olympic Games is a dream come true, my message isn't just to disabled people, but to everyone out there - you have to work hard to make your dreams reality.

"I have been through a lot of ups and downs, I missed my place at the Commonwealth Games in 1998, then I just missed out on the Sydney Olympics and that was before I had my accident in 2001.

'Never give them up'

"It's about using the negatives in a positive light.

"You have to keep your dreams and never give them up."

The South African, who uses a prosthetic leg to walk, admitted she shed a tear before her race, but was far from happy with her performance.

"I was a bit disappointed with my first Olympic race, placing sixteenth is not that bad, but I wanted to come in the top five," she said.

"I beat myself up a bit, I couldn't have done anything differently and I struggled to get out of the water, because I had swam so hard.

"It was a bit rough in the pack, there was a bit of dunking going on, it's always dangerous, but you just have to make sure you don't panic."

Having competed in the long-distance race here against able-bodied athletes, du Toit will now focus on the Beijing Paralympics which start on September 7.

'I will celebrate'

She will compete in the 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley as well as the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle events.

"I have got two weeks to prepare for that and I will celebrate tonight with some junk food, maybe an ice cream," she said.

"I had a few people who told me after the accident that this wouldn't be possible, but I was fortunate enough to get back to swimming.

"When I am in the water, it is one of the few times I forget about the leg and I am completely free - that is who I am."

And Du Toit says no quarter is given by her rivals in the water and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Whatever the competition, able-bodied or not, nobody is going to hold back," she said.

"I don't look at other amputees and think 'her leg is off higher than mine, so I'll swim slower'. You train hard and give it everything."

Her fellow competitors said they were humbled by du Toit.

"The respect I have for her is phenomenal," said women's 10km marathon swim silver medallist Keri-Anne Payne.

"I find it hard swimming this event and I am able-bodied.

"She is incredibly strong and she is an amazing role model."

And Britain's Cassandra Patten summed up du Toit's spirit when she said: "It just shows what you can do if you put your mind to it."

- AFP