Read the passage. Fill in each gap with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage.
Natalie du Toit, the South African swimmer, was only seventeen when she lost her leg in a road accident. At that time, she was a strong and determined young swimmer and many people were starting to see her name up in lights. She almost qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the age of 16. This meant that she would definitely take home the gold in Athens at the 2004 Olympics. Unfortunately, 2001 took a turn for the worst for Natalie. She was going to a training session at the swimming pool on her motorbike when a car hit her. Her leg had to be amputated at the knee. Everybody thought that she would never be able to swim competitively again. However, this South African swimmer neverlost sight of her dreams. Even after losing her leg in the accident, her dream was still to compete at the Olympics. No matter how big the accident seemed, her dream was always bigger. She now is one of the world’s fastest distance swimmers and the only amputee to qualify for the Olympic Games. She qualified for the finals of the 800 meter freestyle at the Commonwealth Games in 2002. This marked the very first time an amputee in the modern era had raced in the finals of an able-bodied international swimming competition. Unfortunately, Natalie didn’t come close to winning. But did that even matter? She was named outstanding athlete of the 2002 Commonwealth Games! This was also her way of showing the world that even though she had half a leg, she would still do great things. “I remember how thrilled I was the first time that I swam after recovering from the operation – it felt like my leg was there. It still does,” says Natalie. “The water is the gift that gives me back my leg and encourages me to continue swimming. I’m still the same person I was before the accident. My dream is to swim faster than I did before the accident.”
