Hoping to contend for a medal, the 24-year-old South African amputee fell off the pace toward the end of the grueling 10 kilometer race, more than a minute behind gold medalist Larisa Ilchenko of Russia.
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The South African admitted she shed a tear before her race, but was far from happy with her performance.
"I was a bit diappointed with my first Olympic race, placing sixteenth is not that bad, but I wanted to come in the top five," she said.
Du Toit hung with the lead pack much of the race, but she had a problem with her cap and couldn't keep up when the pace quickened toward the end of the two-hour ordeal.
Then again, du Toit's time of 2 hours, 49.9 seconds put her ahead of nine others, including 16-year-old American Chloe Sutton, who broke down in tears after finishing.
"I was swimming next to her and she beat me-- and she has one leg," Sutton said. "It's incredible she was able to do that."
Supermoms turn it on at the Olympics
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