Du Toit sets new world record at Paralympics
Sprinter Charl du Toit set a new world record as he blasted through to the final of the T37 100-metre track final.
Du Toit, the current world record holder in this event, won his heat, the second of two, in 11.42 to beat the time he set in Switzerland earlier this year by just 0.01 second.
Fellow South African sprinter, Fanie van der Merwe was second in a time of 11.52, which was also enough to go through to the final.
"I’m completely surprised. This is just so unexpected," said Du Toit who dedicated the win and his record to his uncle Johan who passed away less than a week before he left for Rio after a shooting incident during a house robbery in Pretoria.
"I just wanted to get through the heats", added Du Toit who also thanked his coach Suzanne Ferreira, his team-mates and all the medical staff in getting him to Rio.
Du Toit, whose brain was starved of oxygen when his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck at birth, has to stay as relaxed as possible during races. "Otherwise my right arm tenses up and my right leg’s stride shortens", he explained.