Emma Wiggs

Emma Clare Wiggs, MBE (born 14 June 1980) is a British paracanoeist and former sitting volleyball player, who competes in the KL2 classification of paracanoe. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the KL2 category, gold and silver at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in VL2 and KL2 categories, and is also an eleven-time world champion. As a volleyball player she was part of the Great Britain team that competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Emma Wiggs
MBE
Personal information
Birth nameEmma Clare Wiggs[1]
NationalityBritish
Born (1980-06-14) 14 June 1980
Harrow, London
Height1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)[2]
Sport
SportSitting volleyball (2010–12)
Paracanoe (2013–present)
DisabilityParalysis due to nerve injury
Disability classKL2 & VL2 (paracanoe)
Medal record
Women's paracanoeing
Representing  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de JaneiroKL2
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoVL2
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoKL2
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 DuisburgK-1 TA
Gold medal – first place2014 MoscowK-1 TA
Gold medal – first place2014 MoscowV-1 TA
Gold medal – first place2015 MilanKL2
Gold medal – first place2016 DuisburgKL2
Gold medal – first place2017 RačiceKL2
Gold medal – first place2018 Montemor-o-VelhoVL2
Gold medal – first place2019 SzegedVL2
Gold medal – first place2021 CopenhagenVL2
Gold medal – first place2022 DartmouthVL2
Gold medal – first place2023 DuisburgVL2
Silver medal – second place2018 Montemor-o-VelhoKL2
Silver medal – second place2019 SzegedKL2
Silver medal – second place2021 CopenhagenKL2
Silver medal – second place2022 DartmouthKL2
Silver medal – second place2023 DuisburgKL2
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2017 PlovdivKL2
Gold medal – first place2018 BelgradeKL2
Gold medal – first place2019 PoznańVL2
Gold medal – first place2018 BelgradeVL2
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichKL2
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichVL2
Silver medal – second place2019 PoznańKL2
Silver medal – second place2015 RačiceKL2

Background

Wiggs was born in Harrow, London and grew up in Watford.[2] She attended Watford Grammar School for Girls.[3] At the age of 18 she contracted an unidentified virus during a gap year in Australia which caused paralysis in her arms and legs. Her arms later recovered, but she had permanent nerve damage in her legs.[2][4]

Wiggs graduated from the University of Chichester with a degree in sports and exercise sciences in 2003, and went on to qualify as a teacher by gaining the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in 2004.[5] She worked as a physical education teacher at Lavant House (the school is now closed) in Chichester and The Regis School in Bognor Regis before becoming a full-time athlete.[6]

Career

Wiggs took up sitting volleyball in 2010 after attending a UK Sport talent identification day, where she was offered the opportunity to train in five different sports but chose sitting volleyball because she wanted to compete in a team sport.[6] She captained the Great Britain team which won the bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships,[7] and was a member of the team that competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, finishing eighth.[8] At club level she played for Portsmouth Sharks.[9]

Wiggs switched to paracanoeing after the 2012 Paralympics. She became a full-time athlete, training at the Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham,[10] and won European and World Championship titles in the K1 200m TA class in 2013.[11][8] In 2014, she successfully defended both titles, and also won gold at the World Championships and silver at the European Championships in the V1W 200m TA class.[8][12] She won further world titles in the K1 200m KL2 class in 2015 and 2016,[nb 1][8] and also won the silver medal at the 2015 European Championships.[14]

Wiggs won gold in the KL2 class at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, the first Paralympics to feature canoeing events, with a time of 53.288 seconds.[15]

At the 2020 Paralympics she became the most successful Female Paracanoest, winning a further Gold in the VL2 and Silver in the KL2.[16] She then continued her success with Gold and Silver at the Paracanoe Worlds in the VL2 and KL2.

Career outside Sport

Wiggs is a motivational speaker, ambassador and mentor. She has been chosen as one of 35 elite female athletes for the ‘Unlocked’ initiative, set up by Women’s Sports Trust, with the aim of challenging the lack of diversity in sport, particularly at a senior level; she is a performance champion at Vitality, and she is also working in partnership with Caravan and Motorhome Club supporting disabled access.

Notes
  1. The International Canoe Federation reclassified the TA category as the KL2 category from 2015 onwards.[13]

References
  1. "New Year's Honours list 2017" (PDF). Gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 30 December 2016. p. 91. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  2. "Emma Wiggs". British Canoeing. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  3. Perring, Rebecca (12 September 2012). "Haitian Paralympic team's thrilling visit to Watford Grammar School for Girls". Watford Observer. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. "Rio 2016 Paralympics: Emma Wiggs aims for gold in Para-canoeing". BBC Sport. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. Hiles, Rosie (6 September 2016). "Alumna Emma Wiggs is ready for Rio!". University of Chichester. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  6. "Teacher Emma's life has been changed by 2012 Paralympics bid". Bognor Regis Observer. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  7. Foster, Sarah (11 October 2011). "Giving up never crossed my mind". Portsmouth News. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  8. "PROFILE: Emma Wiggs (GBR) KL2W 200m". International Canoe Federation. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  9. "Portsmouth Sharks star selected for Paralympics – The News". Portsmouth News. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  10. "Rio 2016: Emma Wiggs targets Para-canoe place after switching from volleyball". BBC News. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  11. "GB Paracanoeists win five European Championship golds". BBC Sport. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  12. "Best ever medal haul for GB Paracanoe team at Sprint European Championships". English Federation of Disability Sport. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  13. "Paracanoeing". World Paddle Awards. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  14. "Emma Wiggs". Rio 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  15. Steinberg, Jacob (15 September 2016). "Chippington, Wiggs and Dickins clinch ParalympicsGB canoeing golds". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  16. "GB win three Paralympic golds and pass 100-medal mark - day 10 round-up". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
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