South Africa’s Natalie du Toit continues to excel at the Beijing Paralympic Games. The 24-year-old, who lost her leg in a 2001 motorcycle accident, won her fourth Paralympic Gold Medal on Friday in the 400m freestyle event, setting a world record time of 4:43.81 for her disability class.
Du Toit has also won Gold in the 100m butterfly, 200m individual relay, and 100m freestyle events. She has one more event–the 50m freestyle–in which to compete.
(photo © Newscom)

South Africa’s Natalie Du Toit, who won Olympic viewer’s hearts and admiration when she competed in the open water swim in the Olympics, won Paralympic Gold in the womens 100m butterfly-S9 event at the Water Cub on Sunday. Du Toit, who won five Gold Medals and a Silver Medal at the Athens Paralympic Games, set a new world record in her disability class.

Russia’s Larisa Ilchenko won the women’s 10km swimming marathon in the event’s Olympic debut. She finished the race in 1hr 59:27.7. Great Britain’s Keri-Anne Payne took the Silver Medal and her countryman, Cassandra Patten took the Bronze Medal.
Natalie du Toit of South Africa, the only woman to qualify for both the Olympics and the Paralympics, finished 16th. du Toit, who lost her left leg in a motor scooter accident swam without her prosthetic leg.

South African swimmer Natalie du Toit will compete in Beijing, the first female amputee to participate in the Olympic Games. (An American gymnast, George Eyser, earned six medals at the 1904 Games, despite his wooden leg.)
Du Toit, 24, competes in the 10km event. She lost her left leg when her motor scooter was hit by a car in 2001. She will also compete in the Paralympic Games next month in Beijing.