Natalie du Toit, 17, one of the young rising stars of South African swimming, and a member of South Africa's National Team had to have her leg amputated on Saturday, just 5 days after a motor scooter accident.

The accident took place last Monday as du Toit was on her way to school after completing her morning training session at Newlands Pool in Cape Town.

Du Toit's leg was broken in four places and doctors operated on it twice to try to repair it. After determining that the leg was not healing, it was decided that it would have to be amputated.

At the South African Short Course Championships in October du Toit won the 200 butterfly, the 200 and 400 individual medley events and was second in the 400 and 800 freesyle events.

At last years South African Olympic Trials she won the 400 IM and was second in the 200 IM.

In the 2000 World Long Course rankings she managed to rank 56th in the world in the 400 IM, 71st in the 200 IM and 86th in the 200 fly. In the Short Course rankings she was 87th in 200 IM, 73rd in the 400 IM and 85th in the 200 fly.