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Natalie du Toit left leg was amputated below the knee in 2001. She has gone on to compete against – and often beat – able-bodied swimmers at the highest level. At 16, she nearly qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics in three events. People sensed great things were in store for the strong, determined swimmer; […]
Natalie du Toit left leg was amputated below the knee in 2001. She has gone on to compete against – and often beat – able-bodied swimmers at the highest level.
At 16, she nearly qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics in three events. People sensed great things were in store for the strong, determined swimmer; in 2004, Athens would become her playground.
Then in 2001, those plans abruptly changed. Having completed her morning workout, Natalie eased her motor scooter into Monday rush-hour traffic and headed to school.
Just down the street from her pool, a careless driver exiting a parking lot ran directly into Natalie’s left leg. The scene was gruesome; the devastation was immediately obvious: “I kept saying, ‘I’ve lost my leg, I’ve lost my leg“. Her team mates rushed to her. Traffic snarled. The scene: total, horrible chaos. A motorcycle policeman racing to the accident crashed headfirst into a truck and had to be airlifted to a hospital.
The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals;
the tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
It is not a disgrace not to reach for the stars,
but it is a disgrace not to have stars to reach for.
‘Swim your own race!’
What Natalie du Toit has done (and is still busy doing) to overcome her adversity and the lessons she’s learned along the way, she believes holds true regardless of one’s age, sex, race, religion, nationality or financial standing. It all comes from self-belief – an exceptionally powerful tool, if we could just learn how to use it correctly every day.
Since her accident, Natalie du Toit switched to longer events – from 200m and 400m individual medley to 800m and 1 500m freestyle – to make up for her loss of speed with only one leg. But she made no adjustment to her mental outlook!
Since then, she has become one of the most successful disabled athletes of all times and an inspiration to many!
Natalie du Toit goal was to compete as an able-bodied swimmer at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. This goal materialized on the 20 August 2008, when she competed in the 10km ladies open water marathon, in Shunyi.
The five Gold Medals at the 2008 Paralympic Games made Natalie du Toit the most successful athlete in South Africa. She was further awarded the Whan Youn Dai Achievement Award.
This award is presented to 2 athletes, one male and one female athlete and is given to people with disability who have achieved excellence through exceptional performances in sport and life.
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Tramayne Monaghan helps his teammates grow by keeping them accountable and by connecting them to the best people, the most challenging questions and the highest synergy collaborations at the very best time. I am a Dynamic, Cross-Functional, and Result-Driven Chief Operations Officer who is always looking to be challenged and to challenge others. Thinking outside […]
Hennie le Roux was at the heart of bringing professionalism to rugby and played an integral part of negotiations between players, administrators and legal advisors. It did not only result in revolutionizing the sport worldwide, but also introduced a new professional era in rugby. CRAVEN WEEK 1985 & 1986 Springbok World Cup Champion 1995 Games […]
Dr Kobus Neethling holds six degrees including two Masters, a Doctorates and Post-Doctorate (cum laude) in the identification and development of creative behaviour (Universities of Cape Town and Georgia-USA) Dr Kobus Neethling has written more than 80 books and 9 TV series including a number of international best-sellers (Including three new international best-sellers: ‘Creativity uncovered’; […]
Linda Ntuli is a former Electrical Engineer turned Management Consultant, Linda Ntuli is now a motivational speaker, a trainer, a facilitator, an author, a life coach who has excellent personal, organisational and client relationship management capabilities. He spent over 12 years at Transnet, Eskom, Microellettrica and Afrox in the electrical engineering, project management, sales and […]
Josina Machel holds an MSc degree in Sociology (Gender) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Social Science, Sociology and Political Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Following a horrific domestic violence attack that left her blind in one eye, Ms. Machel founded the Kuhluka Movement, […]
Grant Gavin, a dynamic figure in Durban’s business landscape, is not content with merely achieving success; he’s on a mission to make a lasting impact. Renowned as a property expert and esteemed entrepreneur, Grant has established himself as a key influencer within South Africa’s residential real estate sector. However, his aspirations extend far beyond the […]
Mongezi Mtati has spent the past six years playing and working on the web. He founded his company WordStart in order to help companies generate buzz around their products and services amongst South African influencers. During the company’s first year, Mtati had the opportunity to present the WordStart business model and MC at Richard Branson’s […]
Tracy Going who co-anchored “Morning Live” on SABC2, previously the anchor on GMSA began her radio career in 1992 as the Morning News Anchor for Radio Metro, a position she held for 10 years. Tracy has been seen on our television screens hosting the following programmes ‘Lebone’, ‘One Step Beyond’, ‘Private and Confidential’ and ‘The […]
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