Experienced Paralympic swimmer remembers her rookie days

RIO De JANEIRO — Katarina Roxon, of Kippens, N.L., was just 15 when she made her debut at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Now at the big show for a third time — eight years later and eight years older — she remembers it as a more innocent time.

"It was completely different for me," said the 23-year-old after setting a 200-metre individual medley personal best (two minutes 38.75 seconds) on Sunday. "I was going in, just having fun, enjoying it, seeing how everything was and now it's like 'okay, you need to make finals.'"

Roxon, who her heat in the 100 breaststroke Wednesday morning to advance to the evening's final, achieved that feat just once in five individual events at the London 2012 Paralympic Games but went on to strike bronze at the 2015 IPC word championships, breaking the Canadian 100 breaststroke record. Standing poolside at Rio's Olympic Aquatic centre, she explains what's changed.

"It's a completely different mindset," said Roxon, who won six medals at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto. "Now that I have more experience, I know how to conduct myself, what I need to do, what I need to eat, know when I need to go to sleep, all that stuff."

A proud Newfoundlander, Roxon was born with her left arm missing below her elbow and competes in the S9 classification. The holder of three national records in her favoured breaststroke, Roxon is assistant coach to her father at the Aqua Aces swim team in Stephenville, N.L.

While Roxon began swimming at age five, one of her teammates in Rio was even younger when she started dreaming of the pool. At just 13, Danielle Dorris of Moncton, N.B., is the youngest member of the Canadian Paralympic swim team, thanks in no small part to Roxon.

"She's a big inspiration for me," said Dorris after opening her meet last Friday with a personal best (1:21.99) in the 100 butterfly. "I met her when I was two years old so she kind of rubbed off on me I think."

Dorris hadn't expected to make the team for Rio and went to the trials in March for experience. She wrapped up her individual S8 program with the 100 backstroke on Tuesday, but Roxon has been keen to offset any downside to her teammate's surprise Paralympic debut.

"I remember being the youngest and it's not easy," said Roxon, who has the 100 breaststroke and fly left to swim. "I've been there, I know how it feels so I'm trying to talk to her, hang out with her, just trying to make her feel a little bit more welcome."

Dorris has not been the only rookie to lean on Roxon in Rio.

"I call her [Katarina] my big sister because she's an inspiration for me," said 15-year-old Sabrina Duchesne after setting a new personal best (1:16.88) in the S8 100-metre freestyle on Sunday morning. "She's always there for me, if I have questions, if I'm nervous, I can go talk to her and she's going to be there for me."

As for Roxon, her familiarity with the Paralympics has its limits.

"Every Games is a different experience. The nerves are always there no matter what.