August 01 2002 at 10:04PM
Mancheseter – Cape Town swimmer Natalie du Toit wants to be treated just like any other swimmer.
After she won the first Commonwealth Games gold medal for the women’s multi-disability 50 metres freestyle on Wednesday, she said: “The main thing for me is to be treated like everyone else.”
On Thursday the gold medal winner qualified to become the first disabled swimmer in history to compete in an open Commonwealth Games final when she takes to the Manchester Aquatic Centre pool in the 800m freestyle on Friday night.
Du Toit, who lost her left leg just above the knee in a scooter accident in early 2001, will swim a 100m freestyle semi on Friday morning.
“It is great to have this crowd behind us and to see them all hyped up and great to see disability swimmers finally accepted at this level,” she said.
Swimmers in multi-disability events are judged on how far they are outside particular times for their classification. The person with the best differential is then awarded the gold medal.
Du Toit said the key to her getting back into competition had been the support she got from her friends and family.
“I’m not a disabled athlete,” she told reporters after her heat. “I’m a distance freestyle athlete. I don’t consider myself to be handicapped.
“My friends treat me normally. They keep pushing me out of lifts (when the doors open) and that’s the way I want to be treated. That’s why I’ve come back so quickly and survived.”
Du Toit, said her main goal is to swim the longer events at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
“I’m more a 800 metre and 1500 metre swimmer and it is too extreme to taper for 50 metres and also the longer events so I have to think long and hard about that.
“My coach will help me decide about that. We are still on the borderline. We came here just to see what it is really like and then we will take it from there.”
The Manchester Games are the first to include elite disabled athletes in the main programme and medal winners will count towards each team’s overall tally.
Du Toit said she was looking forward to Friday’s races.
“I’m going to have lots of fun. I must make sure I’m well fed and rested overnight.
“The greatest thing mentally about making it through to the final is to show other disabled athletes what can be done.”
Du Toit said she was still on course to qualify for the Olympics in Athens 2004.
“My times have consistently improved which is a good sign. It means I’m still on course to qualify for Athens.”
Asked whether she would opt for EAD (elite athletes with a disability) events or concentrate on open races, the Cape Town icon said: “I’ll take a couple of months to decide, but I understand that the financial support and stature of disability swimming is growing, and whatever decision I make will be my best one.”
Du Toit, who narrowly missed qualifying for the Sydney Olympics in 2000, returned to the pool soon after leaving hospital and struggled to finish one length of the pool.
She improved one stroke at a time, compensating for the lack of thrust from her left leg with her arms.
It’s a long way to go yet, but, as she points out in her quiet and thoughtful manner, look at how far she has come. – Sapa, Reuters
