Mark Smit
21 August 2008
Beijing — A FRENZIED, tactless media scrum pursued Natalie du Toit relentlessly after her history making 10km open-water swim at the Beijing Olympics yesterday, showing scant regard for her exhaustion or the fact that they were hounding her as she struggled on uneven ground with her prosthetic leg.
As she made her way from the waterside, in evident discomfort after an exhausting two-hour and 49,9 seconds event, she was surrounded - even penned in - by cameras and microphones as journalists tried to get that extra quote.
This went on even after she left the mixed zone, where journalists are supposed to do all their interviewing of athletes.
They would not listen to the polite young volunteers trying to give Du Toit some room to move as she was driven along by the unthinking throng.
Still, it was not this exhibition that elicited the most criticism, but rather the cameras of any number of Asian journalists and ordinary spectators, that were not even making a pretence of photographing her, but rather concentrating solely on her prosthetic leg.
If Du Toit noticed this tasteless behaviour, she gave no sign of it, gracious as she is, but it was a disgusting exhibition on a day of bungling by the organisers. Tradition holds that athletes must run the gauntlet along a red rubber mat in what is called the mixed zone after they have finished competing, so journalists can talk to them.
Du Toit was, predictably, held up right at the top end of the mixed zone by television, which always gets pride of place at these things. Eventually she made her way along the red mat and then, to the astonishment of the South African media contingent, was led away without being allowed to talk to them -- some who have supported her career for years.
There was a huge outcry and it was soon announced that, given the extraordinary interest in Du Toit, a special press conference would be called. Organisers had failed to see that Du Toit was going to be the story yesterday, having become the first disabled athlete to compete in the Olympics for more than 60 years. Her inspiring story is wanted by journalists from all over the world. Americans, in particular, wanted every piece of her they could get.
Despite the shocking behaviour of the cameramen and others, Du Toit starred at a press conference in which she gave generously of herself, talking at length about her feelings and the history of her journey since having the scooter accident at the age of 16 which caused her leg to be amputated.
She never shirked a question, never showed a sign of disapproval or impatience. If there was an Olympic medal for media co-operation, she was earning a gold. In fact the Russian girl who won the event -- Larisa Ilchenko in a time of one hour 59 minutes, 27,7 seconds -- said she believed Du Toit, who only came 16th after a troubled race, should be awarded a separate medal for getting as far as qualifying for the able-bodied Olympics.
It was a generous gesture for a girl who has not lost an open-water swim in four years and should, in fact, have been the story of the day.
Du Toit shrugged it off and, significantly, focused on merit. "I believe if you qualify, you should be able to represent your country at the Olympics and, if you win or come in the first three you deserve a medal. I don't think medals should just be given away."
About the swim itself Du Toit, who came fourth at the Seville world championships in May against mostly the same swimmers, said she was disappointed. She revealed her cap had been her main problem. It had got caught on a buoy as she swam around it, and had worried her for the rest of the race. "I could have ditched it," she said, "but then I would have had to deal with the problems caused by drag if my hair was hanging loose in the water. You don't need that."
Du Toit had been hoping for a fourth place again "but it was not to be and now I must start preparing for the Paralympics".
"Getting to the able-bodied Olympics was a dream of mine and I achieved it. That should stand as a lesson for anyone out there, that they can do anything if they want it badly enough. If you have a dream, and you work hard, you can also do what I have done."
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