Emma Wiggs
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Emma Clare Wiggs (born 14 June 1980) is a British
paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation ( ...
ist and former
sitting volleyball Sitting volleyball is a form of volleyball for athletes with a disability organized by World ParaVolley. As opposed to standing volleyball, sitting volleyball players must sit on the floor to play. History Sitting volleyball was invented in t ...
player, who competes in the KL2 classification of paracanoe. She won gold at the
2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...
in the KL2 category, gold and silver at the
2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...
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 The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...
.


Background

Wiggs was born in Harrow, London and grew up in
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
. She attended Watford Grammar School for Girls. At the age of 18 she contracted an unidentified virus during a
gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educatio ...
in Australia which caused
paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...
in her arms and legs. Her arms later recovered, but she had permanent nerve damage in her legs. Wiggs graduated from the
University of Chichester The University of Chichester is a public university located in West Sussex, England, which became a university in 2005. Campuses are based in the city of Chichester and the nearby coastal resort of Bognor Regis and an associate campus for comm ...
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 The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and South Africa -where it can take up to three years- which provides training in order to allow graduate ...
in 2004. She worked as a
physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...
teacher at Lavant House (the school is now closed) in Chichester and The Regis School in Bognor Regis before becoming a full-time athlete.


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. She captained the Great Britain team which won the bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships in the second division, coming 11th overall. and was a member of the team that competed at the
2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...
, finishing eighth. At club level she played for Portsmouth Sharks. Wiggs switched to paracanoeing after the 2012 Paralympics. She became a full-time athlete, training at the
Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre Holme Pierrepont Country Park, home of The National Water Sports Centre is located in the hamlet of Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham, England and on the River Trent. It is used for many different sports and has received investment which has e ...
in Nottingham, and won European and World Championship titles in the K1 200m TA class in 2013. 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. She won further world titles in the K1 200m KL2 class in 2015 and 2016, and also won the silver medal at the 2015 European Championships. Wiggs won gold in the KL2 class at the
2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...
, the first Paralympics to feature canoeing events, with a time of 53.288 seconds. At the 2020 Paralympics she became the most successful Female Paracanoest, winning a further Gold in the VL2 and Silver in the KL2. She then continued her success with Gold and Silver at the Paracanoe Worlds in the VL2 and KL2. At the
2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...
, she won a gold in women's paracanoeing va'a VL2 and a silver in women's paracanoeing kayak 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 Vitality (, , ) is the capacity to live, grow, or develop. Vitality is also the characteristic that distinguishes life, living from non-living things. To experience vitality is regarded as a basic psychological drive and, in philosophy, a comp ...
, and she is also working in partnership with Caravan and Motorhome Club supporting disabled access. Wiggs was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education by the
University of Chichester The University of Chichester is a public university located in West Sussex, England, which became a university in 2005. Campuses are based in the city of Chichester and the nearby coastal resort of Bognor Regis and an associate campus for comm ...
in 2017. Wiggs is openly lesbian.


Notes


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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiggs, Emma 1980 births Living people Alumni of the University of Chichester British women's volleyball players British sitting volleyball players Women's sitting volleyball players British female canoeists Paralympic canoeists for Great Britain Paralympic volleyball players for Great Britain Paralympic medalists in paracanoe Paralympic gold medalists for Great Britain Paralympic silver medalists for Great Britain Volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Canoeists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Canoeists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics People educated at Watford Grammar School for Girls Members of the Order of the British Empire ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in paracanoe Sportspeople from the London Borough of Harrow Sportspeople from Watford