Emma Wiggs

Started: She took up the sport in 2013. (bbc.com, 03 Mar 2016) Reason: After competing in sitting volleyball at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, she wanted a new challenge. "Sport was always a huge part of my pre-disability life. I then 'lost' it for a few years before finding Para sport. Sitting volleyball showed me what I had been missing in terms of doing sport and the London 2012 Games ignited a fire in me to compete with the best in the world. To do this, I needed to swap sports and canoeing came along and from the first moment, I loved it." (paralympic.org, 03 Apr 2024; bbc.com, 03 Mar 2016) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, and to compete at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. (paralympic.org, 07 Jun 2023) Milestones: She became the first female sprint paddler from any nation to win two career gold medals at the Paralympic Games when she was victorious in the women's VL2 event at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. She had previously claimed gold in KL2 at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 May 2024) At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo she became the first female sprint paddler from any nation to win three career Paralympic medals of any colour. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 May 2024) Awards: She was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2017 New Year Honours list. (paralympic.org, 31 Dec 2016) Additional Info: FUTURE PARALYMPIC PLANS She hopes to compete at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, when she will be age 48. "I can't hide from the fact that every year I'm a year older, and these youngsters are coming through and it's brilliant to see so much young talent across the world. I think I've still got a good few years in me. I think I'm quite lucky in that I always line up never expecting to win, and that element of self-doubt drives me on in my training. But I would love to be able to perform again for GB and grab another medal at another Games. LA would be nice, I've never been out there to compete. I don't feel like it's my last campaign [in 2024], the youngsters are coming. But at the minute I still feel like I can make my boats faster, so I'm privileged to be part of it." (paralympic.org, 07 Jun 2023) INJURY STRUGGLE She considered quitting competitive sport after a wrist injury in 2018. "With the injury it's the first time in my life I've really felt quite disabled. It probably sounds weird coming from a person who's been in a wheelchair for more than 20 years, but it's been that tough." She recovered to win a gold medal in the VL2 200m at the 2019 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. (bbc.co.uk, 22 Aug 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION She studied for a postgraduate certificate in education [physical education] at the University of Chichester in England between 2003 and 2004. (LinkedIn profile, 17 May 2024)