Katarina Roxon misses podium in 100m breaststroke SB8 final
Newfoundland and Labrador's Katarina Roxon, seen above competing in Friday's heats, placed eighth in the women's 100m breaststroke SB8 final at the Paralympics. (Dav Holland/Canadian Paralympic Committee/Handout/The Canadian Press)
Newfoundland and Labrador swimmer Katarina Roxon won't stand on the Paralympic podium after finishing eighth in the women's 100m breaststroke SB8 final in Paris.
Spain's Anastasiya Dmytriv Dmytriv took gold, finishing with a time of 1:19.75. Silver was claimed by world record holder Brock Whiston of Britain, while neutral Paralympic Athlete Viktoriia Ishchiulova claimed bronze.
Roxon finished eighth in the final, with a time of 1:27.39.
"It's not the result I wanted. Not how fast I wanted to go, but I'm really grateful for this journey, and I'm super grateful for everyone who supports me," an emotional Roxon told CBC Sports following the race.
"I am sorry to disappoint. I know a lot of you are going to say it's not a disappointment. I am disappointed. And I feel like I've let everybody down. But I am very grateful for the support that I have. So thank you all so, so much."
There were a few hiccups earlier in the day, said Roxon, who had to take a bus to the arena that left later and took a longer route than expected. Swimming Canada has since rented two apartments near the arena so athletes between competitions don't have to travel as far between races.
The Kippens, N.L. swimmer advanced to the women's 100m breaststroke SB8 final with a time of 1:26.70, coming in behind Dmytriv Dmytriv and Núria Marquès Soto of Spain.
Speaking with CBC Newfoundland Morning after her first race on Friday morning, Roxon said she was disappointed by the results of that race, too, saying it wasn't the one she had wanted or expected to swim.
'Growth experience'
Her father and coach, Leonard Roxon, got to watch the final race from the stands.
"It's a growth experience," Leonard Roxon told CBC Radio in the minutes that followed the race.
"If you don't handle your losses well, you're not going to handle your wins well either. Katarina has always been a very gracious winner and a very gracious loser, and regardless of what she finished, she has always maintained her integrity."
In a previous interview, Roxon said having fans and family supporting her in the stands makes a big difference, especially following the 2020 Games in Tokyo where fans couldn't attend.
This is Roxon's fifth time competing at the Paralympics, making her the first Canadian female swimmer to compete at five Paralympic Games.
On Wednesday, the 31-year-old, was one of Canada's flag-bearers at the Paris Paralympic Games opening ceremony.
"I started this journey not even knowing what the Paralympics was, so I'm super grateful that I'm here over 20 years later still doing this," she said.
Asked what the support from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians meant to her, Roxon took a long pause while fighting back tears.
"I have so much support throughout Canada, but home is where it's at, you know? Newfoundland and Labrador, they send love no matter what I'm doing, and even here I can feel this tremendous amount of support and love just coming through."
Roxon's next scheduled swim at the Paralympics is the women's 200m individual medley S9 on Sept. 5.
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