“I never thought my life would ever turn out like this.”

Katarina Roxon didn’t know what the Paralympics were growing up in the late 90’s in a small town on the West coast of Newfoundland.

Born with her left arm missing below her elbow, Roxon's parents viewed swimming as an essential skill and had her feeling comfortable in the water by age five.

Fast forward to 2024, and the Kippens, NL native has become a two-time Paralympic medalist and the only female swimmer to represent Canada in five Paralympic Games after competing in Paris last month. Her remarkable journey continues to inspire, solidifying her legacy as one of Canada’s greatest Paralympic athletes.

While donning the red and white on the international stage for the past two decades has been an incredible honour, representing her home province has made the journey even more special.

“I have a huge heart for Newfoundland & Labrador," said Roxon. “Being able to represent Canada is always great but to be able to represent Newfoundland & Labrador? That's much better.”

A big part of that special connection to the Rock is her love for spending time with her friends and family. 

It was only fitting that Roxon’s parents had the chance to witness their daughter compete on the world stage in the ‘City of Love,’ marking the first time since 2012 that they were able to cheer her on in person at the Paralympics.

“It’s always such a great feeling having your family there and just being in Paris… I mean it’s Paris!”

After advancing to the 100m Breaststroke final, the result was not what the highly competitive Roxon had hoped for as she finished 8th.

With the support of her friends, family, and the insights gained from four previous Paralympic experiences, the 31-year-old has quickly recognized the positives she can take away from her time in Paris.

“It was still a very positive experience, I had an amazing time at the Games. Every aspect of the Games was phenomenal and I had the best time surrounded by so many amazing athletes.”

“At the end of the day no matter what the result was I’m going to look back knowing that I can’t change the results, can’t change anything about it but I know that I prepared myself as best as I could and I confidently say I’ll look back and have no regrets about it.”

Although Katarina attributes her positive mindset to a number of people, perhaps nobody has had a greater influence than her father and coach Leonard Roxon.

Just moments after her 8th place finish in Paris, Leonard told CBC Radio, ‘If you don't handle your losses well, you're not going to handle your wins well either.’ 

It’s a sentiment his daughter applies to life in and out of the water.

“He’s completely right, you know. Everyone is going to enjoy those amazing high moments, how could you not enjoy reaching the top, reaching your goal or reaching your dream whatever that may be.”

“But when you don’t reach them, how do you react? How do you control your emotions?”

Roxon, articulate in recounting past achievements, struggled to find the words to describe one particular experience at the Paris Paralympics: carrying the Canadian flag during the Opening Ceremony.

“I never thought that would be me, being the flag bearer had never really crossed my mind. Seeing all the flag bearers through four different Summer Games as well as being a spectator and a cheerleader for the Winter Games, there are all these amazing people who have done amazing things… but never once did I think that could be me.” 

“It’s hard to really describe but it was definitely a highlight of my career and I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever forget.”