Oscar Pistorius. Photo by Elvar Pálsson
There are quite a number of South African athletes with disabilities who have proven their skills and dedication by winning accolades and awards. They don’t only serve as a beacon for young South African athletes with disabilities; they also are an inspiration to anyone with disabilities. A few of these renowned athletes are Natalie du Toit, Oscar Pistorius, Donald Rhampadi, and Lucas Sithole. Here are their stories:
Natalie du Toit
Swimmer Natalie du Toit was only 14 years old when she lost a leg because of a 2001 motorcycle accident. Before the accident, she competed in the Kuala Lumpur games in 1998. After the accident, no one expected her to want to keep competing but she was determined to go to the Manchester Games. In a stunning feat, she won the gold medal in the 50 and 100 meter Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) and placed 8th in the 800 meter Freestyle race as a full-bodied athlete. She has also managed to get a gold medal in the Special Olympics.
Her dream remains to find a way to swim again but she continues to compete and encourage South Africans with disabilities to try a new sport and train to compete. Two years ago, she was given the prestigious Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year for being able to compete in both able-bodied and disabled meets with incredible results.
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius, or the “Bladerunner” as many South Africans like to call him, is a double amputee. Yet, he manages to compete as a track and field runner for his country in international events. Furthermore, he does it with able-bodied athletes as his competitors.
He is called the Bladerunner because he uses carbon fibre blades as his legs. He has never really had legs since he was born in South Korea without fibula. At a tender age of 11 months, his parents had to have his legs amputated to save his life. There was no other choice because no one survives without fibula.
Oscar Pistorius has proven that it is possible to win trophies as a person with disabilities. He owns the distinction of being the first person without legs to win in a regular track event at the World Championships 400 meter race.
You can expect to see him in action in London this year. He is also in the running for this year’s Laureus Disability and Breakthrough Awards, also to be held in England.
Donald Rhampadi and Lucas Sithole
In a surprising upset, South African teen Donald Rhampadi beat ace South African player, Lucas Sithole in the Wheelchair Tennis South African Championships last year. The win was achieved in straight sets: 6-0, 6-3. There were other quadriplegic players from Austria, Japan, Great Britain, and Zimbabwe. His accomplishment is being touted as the biggest upset because his fellow South African, Lucas Sithole is ranked internationally.
Fortunately, there was no sign of animosity or anger from ace player Sithole who says, “It has been a long time since I have been beaten locally and Donald played some really good tennis. I wish him all the best for his classification in London this week and I can’t wait to face him on court again soon”.