Unisa online - Award winning swimmer encourages alumni to keep moving

A Unisa alumini breakfast meeting was held on Thursday 06 May 2010 at the Protea Restaurant, Unisa Main Campus. The focus of the event was a motivational talk given by Natalie du Toit. The event was hosted by the Unisa Foundation and the Alumni Relations Directorate.

Natalie is a professional swimmer who, at the age of 14, started representing South Africa in international events, including the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. These achievements, she said, did not come easily and, over the years, she has had her share of ups-and-downs. She recounted both her triumphs and her battles as she opened up to the audience with tact and humour.

There were many times when Natalie had to start afresh with her training after she had lost a race. Swimming is an extremely competitive sport, and she has to undergo many hours of rigorous training to prepare herself for a competition. “I am a great trainer but not a good competitor,” she said, alluding to the fact that she wakes up at 04:00 in the morning for a three-hour session that starts at 05:00. After all-day meetings, she ends her day with another training session at 15:00 in the afternoon.    

Swimming competitions are her main focus, but she has often missed qualifying for races many times, and sometimes only by a split second. She has had to motivate herself repeatedly to compete again, since it takes many years of practice to qualify for top-level competitions.

Even though Natalie (21 years old at the time) suffered a near fatal accident in 2001, when she was hit by car while riding home on a motorbike from swimming practice, she went on to recover and swim again. This accident was, of course, a life-changing event for her: one of her legs was crushed in three places and had to be amputated. 

“Through all that pain, I just wanted to get up and not be angry with the situation or the person that caused the accident. I instead saved that strength to be able to walk and swim again,” she said. With the help of her physiotherapist, she learnt how to walk, initially using her buttocks on a wooden table. She greatly appreciates the fact that her physiotherapist got her to do a number of things without her even realising it. This, she was, was an important life lesson for her.  

Today she walks on a prosthetic limb, but swims without its aid. She can swim in all races: both for the able-bodied and the disabled. Despite her trepidation, Natalie qualified for the Olympic Games when she was only 22 years of age. It took 16 years for her reach this goal and attain this dream – she started swimming at the age of six.

Natalie attributes her success to team work, family and because she surrounds herself with positive people. “They support me all the way and I would never have these achievements without the people I have around me,” she said. 

When asked by the audience what her other goals are besides swimming, she said that she wanted to learn how to run again:  she has forgotten how to owing to the amputation. However, learning how to cook was another big challenge, which she believes she will overcome in the near future.

Despite her hectic schedule, Natalie’s activities involve serving her sponsors, motivational speaking and seeking funding for swimming. She will continue to swim and find new goals and dreams. “Aim high and everything is possible if you believe,” she said in conclusion.