
South African Swimmer and Paralympic Gold Medallist
Natalie du Toit (born January 29, 1984) is a South African swimmer. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; the other being table tennis player Natalia Partyka. Du Toit became the first amputee ever to qualify for the Olympics, where she placed 16th in the 10K, “Marathon”, swim.
Du Toit was voted 48th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004 by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. In December 2009 she received the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold “for her exceptional achievements in swimming.”
On 10 March, 2010, she was awarded the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for “breaking down the barriers between disabled and able-bodied sport”.