Katarina Roxon

Started: She took up swimming at age five, and began competing in 2001 in Gander, NL, Canada. (sportmanagementhub.com, 06 Dec 2019; canadianathletesnow.ca, 12 Dec 2011; cbc.ca, 14 Aug 2015) Reason: Her parents enrolled her in swimming lessons because they believed it was something she needed to learn growing up in Newfoundland, Canada. "They thought being on an island, it's an important life skill to have." (cbc.ca, 28 Jul 2023; sportmanagementhub.com, 06 Dec 2019; canadianathletesnow.ca, 12 Dec 2011) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (canadagames.ca, 21 Nov 2023) Awards: She and wheelchair basketball player Patrick Anderson were Canada's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) In 2018 she received the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. (ntv.ca, 09 Aug 2023; sportmanagementhub.com, 06 Dec 2019) Following her gold medal in the SB8 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a highway near her hometown of Kippens, NL, Canada, was renamed from 'Route 490' to 'Roxon Way' in recognition of her achievement. (sportmanagementhub.com, 06 Dec 2019; cbc.ca, 20 Sep 2016) She carried the Paralympic torch through St John's, NL, Canada, in the lead-up to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (natation.ca, 19 Jul 2010) Additional Info: BREAK FROM SPORT She took some time away from the pool following the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "I've been doing this sport for 17 years. I needed a reset to kind of figure out what I wanted to do. Whether it was leave the sport on that note, or come back to the sport or step into a new journey. It helped me to digest everything, and it honestly helped me come back even stronger to the pool. I knew deep down in my heart that I didn't want to end it off like that. I got myself back up and decided, 'You know what, Katarina? You're going to fight. You're going to be better than what you showed in Tokyo'. And I think that's starting to prove right." (cbc.ca, 28 Jul 2023) FATHER AND COACH Her father Leonard has been her coach since her early days in the sport. "It's never about winning a medal with my dad. If you win five gold medals, good for you, but if your technique was crappy, oh, he's going to tell you, 'You could have gone way faster if you fixed this'. And it's true." (canadagames.ca, 22 Jun 2023) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has been a member of the War Amps Child Amputee Programme, the Canada Games Council, the 2025 Canada Games Board of Directors, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Advisory Council for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. (LinkedIn profile, 09 Dec 2023) OTHER STUDIES She has studied medical office management and administration at the College of the North Atlantic in St. John's, NL, Canada. (Facebook profile, 01 Feb 2024; LinkedIn profile, 09 Dec 2023)

Sporting Relatives: Her sister Miranda has competed in non-Para swimming and worked as a swimming coach at the Mount Pearl Marlins Swim Club in Canada. Both sisters have been coached by their father Leonard Roxon. (Miranda Roxon LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2017; Swimming Canada, 22 Jun 2007)