Hard work pays off in the open water for Du Toit

BEIJING // Natalie du Toit pulled herself onto the dock and waited for someone to bring her prosthetic leg. She stretched out the other leg - the one she didn't lose in a horrendous motorcycle accident - and chatted with an official about the first open water race in Olympic history.

Du Toit, 24, did not finish where she wanted. Not even close. But just making it to Beijing was a huge victory for anyone who's ever faced a disability. Hoping to contend for a medal, the South African amputee fell off the pace toward the end of the grueling 6.2 mile race and finished 16th, more than a minute behind the gold medallist Larisa Ilchenko of Russia. "I tried my best. I'm not too happy with it, but I'll be back for 2012," she said.

When she walked out with 24 other swimmers to be introduced for the groundbreaking event, it was quickly apparent she was not like any of them. She hobbled along stiffly on her artificial leg, the number 23 written on her back and both arms. While others bounced up and down to loosen up, she settled for shaking her arms. A couple of times, she walked over to the edge to splash water on her face and goggles, leaning over tenuously with the wooden prosthetic sticking out to the side, keeping her from falling over.

When it was time to race, she walked slowly onto the dock and removed her replacement leg. Someone moved it to the side, and she sat at the edge of the water, her right leg dangling in. When the starter called for everyone to get ready, she pulled herself up, wobbled just a bit and dove in. She was an Olympian. "My message isn't just to disabled people," she said. "It's to everyone out there that you have to work hard. I've been through a lot of ups and downs ... but I've seen a lot of good things along the way.

"I was able to use the negativism in a good light and say after my accident, 'I can still do it if I work hard'. "You have to set dreams, set goals and never give up." Du Toit, who carried the South African flag in the opening ceremony, hung with the lead pack for much of the race, but she had a problem with her cap and could not keep up when the pace quickened toward the end of the two-hour ordeal.

She finished 1 minute, 22.2 secs behind Ilchenko, who out-sprinted the two British swimmers who led most of the way. Then again, du Toit's time of 2 hours, 49.9 secs put her ahead of nine others, including the American Chloe Sutton, 16, who broke down in tears after finishing, every part of her body cramping and aching. "I was swimming next to her, she beat me and she has one leg," she said. "It's incredible she was able to do that."

Du Toit was an up-and-coming swimmer who just missed qualifying for the Sydney Games when her life took an unfortunate twist in 2001. Returning to school on a motorbike after a training session, she collided with a car and sustained massive injuries to her left leg. Doctors tried for a week to save it but finally had to amputate at the knee. Instead of giving up on her athletic career, du Toit was back in the water six months later.

Swimming made her feel whole again, though she wasn't competitive with able-bodied athletes in the pool, where the legs are vital for starts and turns. Along came open water, which was added to the program for this year's Games. There are no flip turns to negotiate in marathon swimming, which is usually held in lakes and oceans, and the upper body is more important than the legs. She had found her new calling. Du Toit qualified for the Olympics with a fourth-place finish at the world championships in Spain this year.

"I find it hard, and I'm a completely able-bodied person,» said Cassandra Patten, who won bronze in the race. "She is an amazing role model." * AP