Emma Wiggs MBE

Emma won the first ever gold medal in the Women’s Va’a Single 200m (VL2) at Tokyo 2020 - a newly added discipline to the Games - powering home in a personal best 57.028 as the only athlete to go sub-one minute. She also won silver in the KL2 event behind teammate Charlotte Henshaw becoming the first female athlete to win two Paralympic paracanoe medals at a single Games.

Wiggs secured the 11th world title of her glittering career in Duisburg in 2023, dominating the VL2 final to win gold. She claimed her second medal of the competition in the KL2 with silver taking her career world tally to 16.

In 2017 Emma achieved the Paracanoe ‘Grand Slam’ holding the Paralympic, European and World titles within the calendar year when she became Paralympic Champion in the KL2 200m at Paracanoe’s debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

In 2012 Emma represented Great Britain in the GB Sitting Volleyball Team at the London Paralympic Games. After the Games she embarked on a mission to find a sport that would give her a chance to be the best she could be and found canoeing was the answer.

Emma grew up in Watford and throughout her schooling was very active, excelling at hockey. When she was 18, she went on a GAP year to Australia and contracted a virus that initially paralysed her and left her with irreparable damaged nerves in her legs. Despite this life changing event Emma was determined to pursue her chosen career as a PE teacher; studying Sports Science and gaining a PGCE in secondary PE, she started work in West Sussex in 2004.

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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