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WITH contagious optimism and a passion for life to inspire others to make the best out of any bad situation they might be forced to endure, gold medallist and South African swimmer Natalie du Toit relates the happenings of her life with remarkable acceptance and grace.

Du Toit, who has lived in Southfield all her life, has become something of an inspirational icon in South Afri?ca since winning gold medals in the Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games in 2004, despite losing her leg after being involved in a road accident in 2001.

In an interview with People's Post last week, 22-year-old Du Toit soberly related the details of the accident that changed her life forever.

"I was on my scooter after a training session in Newlands.

I remember seeing a car hit me from the one side.

"I was hit off my scooter and landed in a seated position. Luckily only my leg was hurt because I was wearing my helmet," she explains.

What followed, says Du Toit, were two weeks of drifting in and out of consciousness and several operations and blood transfusions in hospital, but despite having to deal with these seemingly grave experiences at such a young age, she remained focused on a future and was determined to succeed.

Amputation couldn't get her down, "When I found out my leg would have to be amputated, my first priority was to carry on with my life, working hard to achieve the things that I wanted for myself. To lie in hospital was more frustrating to me than anything else," Du Toit smiles.

Two weeks after the amputation, Du Toit was up and about, attending classes at school and going for regular physiotherapy sessions, all the while encouraged by the loving support of her family and friends, which she regards as indispensable.

Thanks to a love for swimming, emanating from an early start as a little girl of just six years, Du Toit was back in the pool three months after her accident - before she could even walk - intent on competing in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She won gold in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle events.

For her inspiring performance, Du Toit was awarded the David Dixon Award for Outstanding Athlete. Two years later, following many more outstanding achievements, she was nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year Award for 2004.

With the ultimate goal of qualifying for the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 and working hard during training sessions to attain it, Du Toit admits to still having "the butterflies" when she competes, but maintains that she finds comfort in the fact that she has trained well for every event.

"I have some superstitions when I compete. I have a toy monkey that I take with me to competitions.

"And before I race I always make sure that I have my goggles and cap on before I get to the starting block. Things have to be just right!" she laughs.

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