YESTERDAY Natalie Du Toit finished 16th in the women’s 10 km swimming at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
She will not be happy with that finish, but an entire nation — indeed, much of the world — is celebrating an incredible sporting feat.
Swimming with one leg against the world’s finest athletes, Natalie has become the role model that this nation badly needs.
She has shown that what is important is the will to fight, to do your best, whatever adversity life hands you.
As she put it after her fantastic swim:
“I think for me to come to an Olympic Games is a dream come true. My message isn’t just to disabled people, but to everyone out there — you have to work hard to make your dreams reality.
“I have been through a lot of ups and downs, I missed my place at the Commonwealth Games in 1998, then I just missed out on the Sydney Olympics and that was before I had my accident in 2001.
“It’s about using the negatives in a positive light. You have to keep your dreams and never give them up.”
This is more than just a motivational message for those involved in sport or those who have experienced tragedy.
It is a message for a nation that dwells on adversity and often does not see what might be if all its citizens give it their best.
South Africa needs this message now as it faces political uncertainty and economically difficult times.
We must be aware of the problems that beset us, but we must face them with hope, with the belief that we can overcome them.
South Africa’s Olympic athletes have given it their all. But has our nation given them the support they deserve?
Have our administrators given them the resources to take on the best in the world?
Have our leaders given them encouragement and the certainty that a nation stands behind them. We should learn from Natalie.

Related posts:

1. South Africa wins an Olympic medal. We need many more
2. Natalie strikes gold: Great front page picture
3. Ryk Neethling: Now this is what blogging is all about!
4. Olympics: Breathless in Beijing
5. Ryk Neethling blogs on our Olympic site