Emma Wiggs

Emma Wiggs MBE is one of the most decorated athletes in paracanoeing history, with Paris her fourth Paralympic Games and third in canoe.

She won KL2 gold as paracanoeing appeared at the Paralympic Games for the first time at Rio 2016. At Tokyo 2020, she won a second Paralympic gold medal, this time in the VL2 .

In Tokyo, she also went on to claim silver in the KL2 to become the first female athlete to win two Paralympic paracanoe medals at a single Games.

Wiggs secured the 12th world title of her glittering career in Szeged in 2024, dominating the VL2 final to win gold, taking her career world tally to 16 medals in total.

Already a four-time European champion and two-time silver medallist, Wiggs won double gold at the event for the first time in 2022.

Those performances saw Wiggs achieve her second paracanoe ‘Grand Slam’, holding the Paralympic, European and world titles within the calendar year.

Her first paracanoe ‘Grand Slam’ came in 2017 and she was awarded an MBE for services to canoeing in the 2017 New Year Honours.

Wiggs grew up in Watford and excelled at hockey. At 18, while on her gap year, she contracted a virus that initially paralysed her and left her with irreparable damaged nerves in her legs.

Wiggs was determined to pursue her chosen career as a PE teacher; studying sports science and gaining a PGCE in secondary PE.

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Tokyo, Japan)

• VL2 200m - gold
• KL2 200m - silver

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Rio de Janiero)

• KL2 200 metres: Gold

London 2012 Paralympic Games

Sitting Volleyball

2019 World Championships, Szeged, Hungary

• VL2 200 metres: Gold
• KL2 200 metres: Silver

2019 European Championships, Poznan, Poland

• VL2 200 metres: Gold
• KL2 200 metres: Silver

2018 World Championships, Mentomor-o-Velho, Portugal

• VL2 200 metres: Gold
• KL2 200 metres: Silver

2018 European Championships, Belgrade, Serbia

• VL2 200 metres: Gold
• KL2 200 metres: Gold

2017 World Championships, Racice, Czech Republic

• KL2 200 metres: Gold

2017 European Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

• KL2 200 metres: Gold

2016 World Championships, Duisburg, Germany

• KL2 200 metres: Gold

2015 World Championships, Milan, Italy

• KL2 200 metres: Gold

2015 European Championships, Racice, Czech Republic

• KL2 200 metres: Silver

2014 World Championships, Moscow, Russia

• K1 200m TA: Gold
• V1 200m TA: Gold

2014 European Championships, Brandenburg, Germany

• K1 200m TA: Silver
• V1 200m TA: Gold

2013 World Championships, Duisburg, Germany

• K1 200m TA: Gold

2013 European Championships, Mentomor-o-Velho, Portugal

• K1 200m TA: Gold