Sixteen years after making her Paralympic debut, Katarina Roxon is still smashing expectations on the world stage.
The pride of Kippens, N.L., has been named to the Canadian national swim team for her fifth Paralympic Games, this time in Paris.
The selection gives Roxon the record for the most Paralympic Games appearances by a Canadian female athlete.
“It’s always such a blessing and an honour,” Roxon told CBC N.L. from Toronto. “We were chosen to be the representatives for our country, for our town, for our families, and it’s always such a great honour and it’s something that I never take for granted.”
Roxon made the team after swimming a qualifying time in the 100-metre breaststroke at the Olympic and Paralympic Trials. There are two marks swimmers aim to meet at the trials — an A-standard and a B-standard.
The latter means a swimmer is eligible to make the team, while the other means a swimmer is nearly guaranteed a spot on the team.
Roxon swam a B-standard time in her first swim, before making an A-standard that same evening.
“When I tell you it hurt, it really, really hurt,” Roxon said with a laugh.
Roxon was just 15 years old when she went to Beijing with Team Canada for the 2008 Paralympics, where she placed 12th in the 100-metre breaststroke.
She improved to fifth in 2012, before rising all the way to the top of the podium in 2016 in Rio.
The 2020 Paralympics — which were delayed until 2021 — were a different beast. With COVID-19 in full swing, athletes’ training schedules were thrown into disarray. The event itself was also far different than previous Games, with no spectators in the venues to cheer on athletes.
Roxon still managed a fourth-place finish, and won bronze in the team event.
Facing uncertainty after Tokyo, Roxon eventually recommitted instead of retiring from the sport.
“I just didn’t feel like I was done,” she said. “I didn’t know what I needed, what I was going to accomplish. I didn’t know what I was shooting for, but I just knew. I just felt that I wasn’t done with my swimming journey yet.”
Roxon moved to Quebec City to be closer to elite training partners, and decided to go all-in on one event — her tried and true 100-metre breaststroke.
She’s seen the Paralympics grow throughout her career, pulling in bigger audiences and gathering more sponsor support. Roxon laughed as she talked about the 2030 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, saying it will be an amazing event, but she hasn’t made any decisions.
At 31 years of age, this could be her last push for the podium. If it is, she’s still driven to go out on top.
“I always like to push myself to be better, and I don’t think that’s ever going to go away. No matter when I retire from sports, it’s just always been like that. That’s part of my personality.”
The Paralympic Games run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 8.
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