"Oh, Little Mermaid, why are you in tears?"
"They told me that I would not be able to swim."
This is a saga of a mermaid whose soul sang for the water, whose only dream was to travel those waves.
A dark shadow swept that dream away, and mutilated the mermaid's soul.
But, like in the Danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," this one found her calling—her spirit!
Natalie Du Toit is someone who is an example to many. She is the definition of resilience.
She is guts, glory, gumption, grace, and greatness. She is what enigma and legends are made of.
Natalie Du Toit was born on January, 29 1984 in Cape Town, South Africa. She took to the water like a fish and at the age of nine, won all the events that she competed in—the under-nine backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle—and was declared the Top swimmer of the Day. At the age of 14, she competed in the 1998 Commonwealth Wealth Games in Kaula Lampur, Malaysia.
She almost qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was pegged to win more medals and bring swimming glory to South Africa.
On a quite sunny day in Cape Town in February 2001, an accident of such magnitude struck that one couldn't have imagined it in one's wildest nightmares!
A car that was just pulling out of the parking lot hit Du Toit when she was on a motorcycle, and Natalie lost her left leg. Her whole life crumbled around her, and her dreams turned to illusions!
A lesser mortal would have died a million deaths that day! But, Natalie Du Toit is not a lesser mortal; she is a courageous and passionate individual whose spirit came to her rescue.
She made up her mind to question the belief that a physically challenged person can't rise up to a challenge with the able-bodied.
At 18, she went on to win both the 50-metre and 100-metre Elite Athletes with Disability (EAD) events at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. She was the first disabled athlete to qualify for an able-bodied event when she competed in the 800-metre race. The world of sport honored this great achievement with the David Dixon Award for the most outstanding athlete at the Games.
She narrowly missed making the cut for the Athens Olympics in 2004, but went on to rule the pool at the Paralympics, winning five gold and one silver medal.
In the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, she went on to reclaim the 50-metre and 100-metre races.
In May 2008, she finished fourth at the World Open Water Championship.
Her biggest dream was to qualify for the Beijing Olympics for the able-bodied. God finally smiled down on Du Toit and she is granted her wish and her dream has materialized.
Natalie Du Toit will be representing South Africa at the Beijng Olympics in the 10km open-water race, which is making its debut.
Also, making debut will be the Little Mermaid from South Africa—Natalie Du Toit!
I wish Natalie all the best, and I salute her spirit!
Official Natalie Du Toit Web Site
* Recently on B/R, in the Formula One section, we had a discussion on women in sport, and someone mentioned about the able being challenged by the disabled. Natalie's story removes all such perceptions and misconceptions out of our mind.
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