Disabled Olympic Athletes :: Natalie du Toit and more
As the Olympics close today, we can take great hope and pride in one Olympic athlete from South Africa. Natalie du Toit is a swimmer from South Africa. I learned of this story from the AngryAfrican. I follow him on Twitter.
She competed in the first ever Open Swim competition in Olympic history. In fact, she “is the first known amputee swimmer to qualify for the Olympics,” according to the Associated Press.
This is a story I think you’re going to love. Read Amputee inspires in Olympic debut, from the Associated Press.
Road to Beijing
Du Toit qualified for Beijing by finishing fourth in the 10k at the 2008 Open Water Worlds, where the top 10 finishers automatically earned Olympic berths. “That was a big surprise,” she said of the finish. “I didn’t expect to finish fourth. I didn’t think I’d be top 10 at all.” At the time, du Toit had competed in three open water races internationally to prepare for Worlds. But she had been putting in more training than ever and said she was prepared for the race both physically and mentally. And, three-quarters through the race, du Toit noticed she was in the top 4 or 5. “I was still feeling good, so it was just my mentality to keep up there and keep going and sprint,” she said. “It’s just a lot of training that went into it, and I was mentally prepared to go out there and really want something.”
Natalie finished 16th. Her final words from the Olympics? “I tried my best,” du Toit said. “I’m not too happy with it, but I’ll be back for 2012.”
We’re happy with it, Natalie! Congratulations for making history!
South Africa almost had two Olympians that are amputees. Oscar Pistorius made a run at competing. The AngryAfrican’s also written about the story in his blog, Angry African, on the loose.
400m runner Oscar Pistorius, who had both legs amputated below his knee when he was 11 months old, will be allowed to compete in Beijing following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on May 16, 2008. Pistorius, who now competes on prosthetics known as “Cheetahs,” had not achieved a qualifying time as of this writing, but is eligible for the nation’s 4×400m relay team, even if he does not run a fast enough individual time.
There have been many other disabled Olympians, over the years, of course. One of the most famous? Bob Beamon. He is a diabetic. His long jump record stood for over two decades!
Bob Beamon competed in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and broke the world-record for the long jump. He was the first athlete to hit both the 28-ft. and 29-ft. marks. Bob’s record 29-ft. 2 1/2in. jump stood for 23 years.
This year, a table tennis player from Poland also qualified for the Games. Natalia Partyka.
Natalia Partyka, 19, of Poland, is another athlete with a disability who is competing in both international Games. The Polish table-tennis champion was born with an incomplete right arm, and has dazzled onlookers for years with her tactical abilities and an appearance of ease. She, too, is competing for medals in the Olympics and Paralympics.
I love these kinds of stories, don’t you?
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