Natalie du Toit isn't your average Olympian. She's the only amputee competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. While it wouldn't seem so incredible to be a one-legged medal contender in something like the 50M rifle shooting competition, she's gone way beyond that. Natalie placed 4th in the open-water championships in May, giving her a very legitimate chance to be on the podium at the end of the women's 10km open-water race, which is quite possibly the most grueling swimming event in the Olympics. It's taking place Wednesday morning in Beijing, which would be right about now our time.Natalie's story can be found on her website, and is quite a remarkable one. Her dream of competing in the Olympics go back more than 8 years. She tried to compete in Sydney and missed qualifying, and then was in a car accident the following year, and missed the Athens games altogether.
Now, du Toit is looking forward to a high finish in Beijing. She has her sights set on a top-5 finish, but definitely has a chance at taking home a medal for South Africa. If she does, she will join Michael Phelps as one of the most amazing stories in Olympic history.
The key to her success has been her positive attitude. I know it sounds cliché, but it's the only way she ever could have made it this far, and she would tell you that herself.
"You have to work hard for what you want to achieve and you have to set goals and dreams and really go for them. Even when bad things happen you have to try to use those bad things in a positive manner and really just take the positive out of it."
I'm not sure which Americans are swimming in that race, but I'll be rooting for Natalie du Toit.
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