- 15 Aug 08, 05:20 PM
There are heroes and then there are heroes, but is a superhero.
She's not an Olympic champion - yet - but her story is the best kind, one of triumph over adversity, one of beating the odds, and one of pursuing your dreams at all costs.
For me, what makes sport so special is its humanity, and South Africa's Natalie Du Toit has plenty of that. As many of you will already know, Natalie is one of a select group of athletes to qualify for both the , and the Olympic Games.
Competing internationally since the age of 14, in February 2001, when she was 17, her left leg was amputated at the knee after she was involved in a scooter accident on her way back to school after swimming practice.
Three months later, even before she'd started walking again, she was back in the pool. In 2002, swimming with a prosthetic limb, she won two gold medals in multi-disability events at the .
She also made sporting history by qualifying for the 800 metre able-bodied freestyle final - the first time that an athlete with a disability had qualified for the final of an able-bodied event.
Already a multiple gold medallist at the , Natalie is here in Beijing to take part in the women's 10 km open water event, having qualified by finishing 4th at the this year's World Championships.
This is your chance to talk to her via webcam and put your questions to her with your e-mails.
Natalie will be with us live on on 成人论坛 World News this Saturday to tell us her story, so if you want to be a part of the programme, e-mail us at mygames@bbc.co.uk.
It's going to be a great honour to meet her, because hers is a story of courage, spirit and determination. The best kind. An inspiration to so many, she has used her sporting achievements to show the world that anything is possible if you want it badly enough.
In other words, hers is so much more than a sporting story. To transcend one's chosen arena is the most anyone can ever hope for and Natalie has certainly done that, even before her Olympics have begun. I hope you'll join us for My Games at 12:40 GMT this Saturday.
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