Britain’s three-time Paralympic gold medallist Emma Wiggs has spoken of the “rollercoaster of emotion, relief and nerves” she felt when taking victory at her first event in 18 months after considering retirement.
It came at the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup, with Wiggs winning gold in the women’s VL2 200m event in Brandenburg, Germany.
She recorded a time of one minute and 5.48 seconds, over a second faster than Canadian runner-up Brianna Hennessy.
The 45-year-old had not paddled since winning gold and silver medals at the 2024 Games in Paris after having shoulder surgery.
“It was amazing. It was a real mix, a real rollercoaster of emotion, relief and nerves,” said Wiggs of her win on Sunday.
“There’s been huge points over the rehab journey where I just doubted we could ever line up again, let alone be competitive.”
Wiggs has won three gold and two silver Paralympic medals and is a 12-time world champion, but admitted she had doubts before her latest event.
“On the start line, I just felt really sick and that’s not normal for me,” she said.
“Normally, I’m able to line up feeling confident that we’ve done the work we needed to do.
“And I know that I’ve done the work, but I think I’ve been battling with quite a deep crisis of confidence over the last year and a half. That voice has been loud, really loud.”
Wiggs, whose five medals is the most won by any Paralympic canoeist, contracted an unknown virus when she was 18 which caused lasting nerve damage and paralysis in her legs.
She hopes to return to both kayak and Va’a canoe racing at the European Championships in June in Portugal.
