Jul 29, 2012 (Morning Edition) — Poet Mbali Vilakazi pays tribute to South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, the first female amputee ever to qualify for the Olympic Games. For Vilakazi, du Toit's accomplishment is "everything the Olympics represent ... the triumph of the human spirit."
n p r n e w s
on:
NCPR is supported by:
This is a Visitor-Supported website.
More from NPR
May 23, 2013 — In a major speech, the president rejects the idea that the country can fight an opened-ended "global war on terror." In setting his own guidelines, he defines the standards for using drone strikes and again calls for closing the Guantanamo Bay prison.
May 23, 2013 — Central Oklahoma has been hit repeatedly by killer tornadoes. For many residents of the town of Moore, that history offers proof that they'll be able to rebuild, not evidence that they should leave.
May 23, 2013 — The state is turning down an estimated $100 billion in federal funds that would have paid for health care coverage for more than 1 million poor Texans. For Gov. Rick Perry and the state's Republican-dominated Legislature, the potential appearance of supporting "Obamacare" was too much.
May 23, 2013 — The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America has voted to allow gay Scout members, but to continue a ban on openly gay adult Scout leaders. The policy change would take effect Jan. 1, 2014.
May 23, 2013 — The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.
Illustration of Olympic swimmer and amputee Natalie du Toit. (Ron Tanovitz)
Against All Odds, You 'Swim Your Own Race'
by Mbali Vilakazi
Jul 29, 2012 (Morning Edition) — Poet Mbali Vilakazi pays tribute to South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, the first female amputee ever to qualify for the Olympic Games. For Vilakazi, du Toit's accomplishment is "everything the Olympics represent ... the triumph of the human spirit."South African poet Mbali Vilakazi is also a performer and radio producer based in Cape Town. Vilakazi's poem pays tribute to South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, the first female amputee ever to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Du Toit lost her leg after a scooter accident at age 17. During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she carried the torch for South Africa and competed in the women's 10 km open-water race. The Order of Ikhamanga mentioned in the poem is awarded by the president of South Africa for achievement in culture and sports. Of du Toit's accomplishments Vilakazi says, "I want to be able to celebrate her and the inspiration she is. ... She is everything the Olympics represent to me — the triumph of the human spirit."
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.9(MDAxNzgwMTg5MDEyMTQ4Nzc4MjdiNWVmMw004))
About The Poetry GamesTo celebrate the Olympics we invited poets from around the globe to compose original works about athletes and athletics — and asked you to be the judges. Thousands of you voted, and we're pleased to crown the victor: Mbali Vilakazi from South Africa for her poem "Swim Your Own Race." Click here to listen to an interview with Vilakazi.
Missing some content? Check the source: NPR
Copyright(c) 2013, NPR
