Natalie du Toit Quotations

Even when bad things happen you have to try to use those bad things in a positive manner and really just take the positive out of it.

You have to work hard for what you want to achieve and you have to set goals and dreams and really go for them.

I say, 'If I'm able to go out there and achieve a dream, then anybody can do it.'

It doesn't matter if you look different. You're still the same as everybody else because you have the same dream.

I have always had a dream to take part in an Olympic Games, and losing my leg didn't change anything,

Going out there in the water, it feels as if there's nothing wrong with me.

I just want to be myself and go for my own dreams and goals.

Qualifying for the Olympic Games was one of those moments where you just cry because it was like you've climbed Mount Everest.

I think I've achieved everything I wanted to.

The situation in disability sport is growing, and girls like Ellie Cole are doing wonders.

I am always late because people stop me for autographs and say hi.

I don't think of myself as being disabled, or able-bodied.

I go out there and train as hard as anybody else.

It is wonderful to say that your days behind a school desk are over. It's just another phase in your life.

It's been a dream for me since I was six years old to go to the Olympic Games and to finally have that dream realised is something massive for me.

Once your dream is fulfilled you face another one.

Swimming is my passion and something that I love.

When you are racing in an able-bodied competition, you're all equal and you go out there and try your best, and that's what counts.

Back in my mind, I never, ever wanted to give up swimming; it was something that I would carry on with.

By 9:30 at night, I go to bed.

I have a strong upper body; I'm an arms swimmer, and I always have been.

I just missed out on qualifying for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

I've been lucky enough to travel the world and win awards and medals, but it was time to stop.

My message is not just to disabled people, but to everyone: You have to work hard.

My parents gave me a boxer puppy as a present. I have wanted a dog for years and must first give her attention in the morning.

If I'm able to go out there and achieve a dream, then anybody can do it.

Swimming is my passion and something that I love. Going out there in the water, it feels as if there's nothing wrong with me. I go out there and train as hard as anybody else. I have the same dreams, the same goals. It doesn't matter if you look different. You're still the same as everybody else because you have the same dream.

To be here, is a dream come true. A dream is something that you set for yourself, not what other people set for you. When I qualified in Seville I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that I was going to the Olympic Games.