By Tom Degun at the Aquatics Centre on the Olympic Park in London

Natalie du_Toit_August_30August 30 - Swimming star Natalie du Toit won South Africa's first gold medal of the London 2012 Paralympics here tonight making the perfect start in her quest for seven medals at the Games.


Having won five gold medals and a silver at her first Games in Athens in 2004 before claiming a further five golds at Beijing in 2008, the 28-year-old from Cape Town (pictured), who lost her left leg in 2001 following a car accident, is widely considered South Africa's greatest Paralympian.

Taking a superb win in 1min 09.30sec ahead of silver medallist Sarai Gascón of Spain and bronze medallist Elizabeth Stone of the United States in the women's S9 100 metres butterfly, Du Toit's victory tonight provided her with an 11th Paralympic gold medal.

Du Toit has already declared that London 2012 will be her last event before retirement.

"After everything I've gone through, it's actually quite a relief that it's my last Games," she said.

"It's a great feeling to be able to walk away and know that I've achieved everything I wanted to achieve and there's nothing else that I could have done.

"So I'm more relieved than anything else."

Natalie du_Toit_100m_Butterfly_win_August_30
Unlike her compatriot Oscar Pistorius, who has dominated the headlines ahead of the Paralympics as he prepares for the athletics competition, Du Toit has kept a low profile in the lead up to the Games.

"London has been great and I've been able to see a few of the sights which took a bit of the pressure off the racing," she said.

"That was my aim coming into this competition – just to have fun and enjoy what I'm doing."

Du Toit will be back in the pool tomorrow as she goes for gold in the 100m backstroke event.

She will be aiming to end her career on a high as she goes for victory in the 100m breaststroke later in the week as well as defending her gold medals in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle races and the 200m individual medley.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
December 2011: Natalie du Toit targets both London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to ensure she ends on a high
December 2010: "I want to bow out on my own terms and end on a high" claims Du Toit
October 2010: Du Toit completes golden treble to bow out of Games in style
October 2010: Du Toit completes golden Commonwealth Games double
October 2010: Du Toit claims third consecutive Commonwealth Games victory