Former Olympic prospect Natalie du Toit continued to make waves on the third day of the Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled at the King's Park Aquatic Centre in Durban on Tuesday, clipping almost one second off her own world record for the women's 400m freestyle set at last year's Paralympics in Athens.
Swimming in the S9 class for amputees, Du Toit swam the distance in four minutes 27.15 seconds, 0.54 seconds faster than her previous world mark of 4:28.09.
In her three days at the championships she has won six gold medals and set two SA records on top of Tuesday's world record.
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"I have to say I am tremendously pleased to have achieved this time in the 400m," she said. "I went out fast from the start intending to get a good time and I got it. I know I can go still faster.
"I am in heavy training at this time of the season, preparing for next month's national championships for able-bodied swimmers at East London.
"What we are aiming for this year is for me to do well at the 800m and 1 500m distances, which suit me a lot better."
Du Toit said that as far as her swimming career was concerned she had swum all her best times at the Paralympics.
But she also came close to breaking another world record on Monday when she was only two hundredths of a second off the mark for the 100m freestyle.
A spokesperson for the championships said the presence of swimmers from the Netherlands and Great Britain had pushed local swimmers to reach greater heights and a spate of national records had gone by the boards.
The track and field championships also got under way on Tuesday with several records in the men's and women's 100m.
The championships continue today at various centres: 8.30am-1pm: Wheelchair tennis (Westridge Park); Table tennis, senior (UDW); Cycvling, junior time trials (Camperdown); Boccia (OM Sports Hall, UKZN); Track and field (King's Park Track); Goalball, senior (Jewish Club) 2-5pm: Wheelchair tennis (Westridge Park); Basketball, senior (DIT); Goalball, senior (Jewish Club); Cycling (Camperdown); Table tennis, senior (UDW) 6-8pm: Goalball, senior (Jewish Club)
New SA records
Swimming - Women's 400m freestyle: Natalie du Toit (RSA, S9) 4:27.15 (world record) (4:28.09 old record); Mhairi Love (GBR, S6) 6:18.69 (7:11.65); Chantal Boonacker (NED, S8) 5:59.93 (6:20.75). Men's 400m freestyle: David Roberts (GBR, S7) 5:15.60 (5:50.43).
Women's 200m IM: Pernille Thomsen (NED, SM8) 3:24.70 (4:25.53).
Women's 50m freestyle: Pernille Thomsen (NED, S8) 33.42 (40.00); Bernadette Massar (NED, S7) 41.88 (42.69); Mhairi Love (GBR, S6) 41.90 (42.76); Marion Nijhof (NED, S11) 34.l31 (41.15).
Men's 50m freestyle: Paul Kevin (EP, S10) 29.34 (33.01); Hendrik van der Merwe (CG, S6) 48.68 (54.69); Charles Bouwer (GW, S13) 29.35 (30.07); Matthew Walker (GBR, S7) 30.11 (32.42); Michael Schoenmaker (NED, S5) 50.70 (52.32). Men's 400m freestyle relay: Great Britain team (Class 7-10) 4:26.36 (5:04.79).
Athletics - Men 100m: Rainer Moloi (CG, T45) 12.63 (12.65); Samkelo Radebe (CG, T45, U17) 12.71 (14.14); Mpho Maiganye (CG, T46, U14) 13.13 (13.60); Sipho Ndlozi (CG, T34, U17) 21.98 (23.92); John de Koker (GN. T42, U17) 15.72 (17.30); Jenovin Cornelissen (WP, T11, U14) 15.07 (15.39).
Shot put: Francois du Plessis (SWD, F33) 6.79 (6.56); Zukisa Ngalwa (Tokai, F58, U17) 6.95 (6.36).
Javelin: Tankiso Hata (FS, F56) 18.50 (18.26).
Women 100m: Renise van Uys (WP, T53) 21.33 (21.90); Goodness Mokhine (CG, T44) 17.;04 (17.23); Nombusa Mumba (KZN, T12, U14) 15.06 (15.10).
- This article was originally published on page 20 of The Mercury on March 16, 2005
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