Para canoe star Wiggs leaves no stone unturned ahead of Paris 2024

Great Britain’s Emma Wiggs is a trailblazer in Para canoe, a young sport that made its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016. 

Wiggs, who competed in sitting volleyball at London 2012, switched to Para canoe straight after the Games and quickly showed her talent. She became a World Champion in 2013, and topped the podium in the women’s KL2 event three years later in Rio.

At Tokyo 2020, she captured gold in the women’s va’a single VL2 and a silver in the kayak single KL2. The British star reflects on her journey in Para canoe as she prepares for her fourth Paralympic Games.

 

 

You competed at Rio 2016 when Para canoe made its Paralympic debut.  What was that experience like?

It was a truly incredible Games. To have my family and friends there and to be able to make history as the first ever KL2 gold medallist was a true honour. My biggest memory from Rio was crossing the line and then finding my family about 30 minutes later, those hugs were just amazing. I wouldn’t have achieved it without them.

 

Did you expect to win this gold medal?

Absolutely not. Our sport is always touch-and-go and the weather plays a huge part. I knew that if I could cope with the weather and deliver my process, I would do OK. But to win the gold was brilliant.

 

Five years later, you won gold and silver at Tokyo 2020. What did these medals mean to you?

I was blown away to come away with the gold and silver. It’s incredibly challenging to try to deliver in two boats when most of your opposition only paddle one. There are only so many hours in the day so I was so proud to be able to do that and be the first and only female Para canoe athlete to win two medals in two events at the same Games.

 

What has made you one of the best canoeists in the world?

I think it has been my work rate and my desire to leave no stone unturned. Despite all the success and medals, I have never lined up expecting to win and I think that drives me to do everything, every day to make the boat faster. I also just love testing myself to see what we can achieve.

 

 

How are you looking forward to Paris 2024?

I am fully focused on our selection for Paralympics GB. The final stage of this will be in June so I need to be selected before I truly focus on Paris. It’s going to be tough and then even tougher to try to then turn around the peak again in Paris a few months later. But I’m lucky enough to be part of the team – I will do everything I possibly can to deliver the best I have.

 

Have you changed anything in your training?

I’m just trying to work out how to manage two boats and be ready for our GB selection. I have also tried to practice more in bad weather as the weather.

(Defending both titles in Paris) would be incredible, but the world has really stepped up so I’ll have my work cut out if I make it onto the Paralympics GB team.

 

What does Para canoe and Para sports mean to you?

Sport was always a huge part of my pre-disability life. I then 'lost' it for a few years before finding Para sport. It has certainly changed my life and I can honestly say that today I am fitter, stronger and more able as a person with a disability than I ever was when I was able bodied. That is the power of sport.

 

You were captain of Great Britain’s sitting volleyball team at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Why did you switch to Para canoe?

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.

 

What was the most difficult part when switching? And how did you overcome that?

Probably the belief to think I could do something else. I’m not a very confident person and I think a disability can further dent your confidence sometimes. But the staff at canoeing were brilliant and saw something in me that I couldn’t see myself.

How did your experience in sitting volleyball help you succeed in Para canoe?

Probably just the experience of doing sport again. I was disappointed with how we performed at London 2012 in sitting volleyball, and I think that fueled my passion to train hard and commit everything to make canoeing a success.

 

You became a Para canoe world champion in 2013. Could you tell us about your early journey in the sport?

It was a rollercoaster. I never believed we could do that in our first year, but I did fully commit to the training, commuting from Glasgow to Nottingham every week to train hard, and it paid off.

I think it was quite surprising for me to do so well so quickly but when you look at the staff and set-up support we have, I guess it's not a real surprise. 

 

You are also a motivational speaker. What is the main message you want to get across?

I love being able to help other people unleash their potential. I really feel that sport has taught me so much I want to share it with people. The main message would be that when we face change or challenges in our lives, we can have positive outcomes if we remember that we always have a choice and we can use those around us to add value and help get us to our goals. 

 

What bigger dreams do you have with your sport?

I aim to help other people unleash their potential and just want to add some value to people’s lives through my experiences and with all the things my beloved sport has taught me. Sport has changed my life and I hope others can find sport and utilise its power like I have been able to.

 

Book your tickets for the Paralympic Games by visiting the Paris 2024 ticketing website.