Natalie du Toit closes her swimming career with London silver
South Africa’s champion finished her final competitive swim with a medal after a career that produced 13 Paralympic golds.
Archive photograph from Beijing 2008, not London 2012. Natalie du Toit (centre) on the women’s 100m butterfly S9 podium at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, 7 September 2008. AI-assisted lighting, colour and detail enhancement; the original is available below.
Photo credit: Heath Campanaro / Australian Paralympic Committee · CC BY-SA 3.0
South Africa’s Natalie du Toit ended her competitive swimming career with silver in the women’s 100m freestyle S9 at London 2012. The IPC’s report on 7 September recorded her finishing 0.68 seconds behind Australia’s Ellie Cole in her final race.
A distinguished career reaches its final touch
Du Toit retired with 13 Paralympic gold medals and 12 World Championship golds. She had also become the first amputee to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2008, establishing a place in both Olympic and Paralympic sporting history.
Although disappointed not to finish with another gold, du Toit told the IPC that she had given her best and was ready to move on. Cole spoke warmly about the South African’s support and mentorship. The final silver therefore marked both a competitive result and the conclusion of a career that had helped raise the international profile of South African swimming.