Her teammates expressed their compassion and sympathy, but all Du Toit wanted was to return to her normal life. The second day after the operation, she began to walk, and only three months later, she returned to the swimming pool, to the disbelief of her parents.

Her first attempts at swimming were traumatic as she had to learn how to balance her body and exhaustion came quickly. To compensate for her leg Du Toit worked on improving her upper body strength. Everyday, after two training sessions in the pool, she also swam several km in the sea. Gradually, her left arm has gotten so strong that it has somewhat made up for the lost strength in her left leg.

Determined to pursue her Olympic dream, Du Toit took part in the 2004 Olympic qualifiers but failed. With only one leg, her weakness was that she could not accelerate or turn around very fast in the pool, which made it difficult for her to compete in short distance races. In October 2005 when the International Olympic Committee decided to add a 10-km race in open water to the Olympics, Du Toit saw new hope. She trained harder to compete in the longer distance.

Role model

Du Toit's courage has been shared with many South Africans. She is today an accomplished motivational speaker who inspires young and old alike with her positive attitude. "It is important to do your own race and not someone else's," she often tells those who ask how she has achieved so much.

While she admits that her disability has brought about inconveniences, the message Du Toit sends to other disabled people is that "God helps those who help themselves."

Currently, Du Toit is a student of University of Cape Town, majoring in Sport Management and Genetics. When she is not in training or school, she often goes to hospital to visit and encourage disabled persons.

During her interview with Beijing Review, Du Toit revealed a secret. After the car accident, her mother received an anonymous check from China. She said she was grateful for the care shown by the Chinese people. Du Toit expressed her sympathy for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and wanted to tell the children there to believe in themselves and live their dreams. She plans to visit Sichuan in the future.