Erica Wiebe
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Canadian | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
13 June 1989 Stittsville, Ontario | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Calgary, Alberta | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | University of Calgary | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 2 August 2014. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Erica Elizabeth Wiebe (born June 13, 1989)[1] is a wrestler competing for Canada. She is the reigning Olympic champion in women's 75 kg freestyle, winning gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Wiebe is also the current Commonwealth Games champion in the same weight class, having won the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Career
Wiebe started wrestling in grade 9 when she saw a sign posted for co-ed wrestling at her school.[2] She travelled as part of Canada's extended team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. There she was the training partner for Leah Callahan in London.[2] At the 2013 World University Games Wiebe won a bronze medal in the women's 72 kg freestyle weight class.[2]
She had an incredibly successful 2014 season when she won every individual tournament she entered, a streak of 36 matches.[2] She won a gold medal in the 75 kg freestyle at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Celebrating her win after the bout she said "When I won it was emotional. This is what I have been thinking about and dreaming about. It was awesome to have that moment for myself, the first time that I did this at a big event. I have never had my anthem played so I was thinking about that before I went out there and that is what I was wrestling for today."[3] Wiebe would also win gold at the 2015 World University Games.[2] At the esteemed 2015 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin she won the gold medal in her weight class. Despite the run of successes, Wiebe did not compete for Canada on home soil at the 2015 Pan American Games.
The summer of 2016 saw Wiebe compete as part of Canada's 2016 Olympic team.[4][5] In competition at the Olympics, she won gold, defeating Guzel Manyurova in the final event. After winning the Olympic title she said "I love this sport and I never thought I'd be an Olympic champion, but today I had my best day. It's amazing."[6] The medal was the third gold medal in wrestling that Canada has ever won at the Olympics, and second ever women's gold. She follows in the footsteps of Daniel Igali who won gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and Carol Huynh who won the first for Canadian women at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[7]
References
- ↑ "Glasgow 2014 profile". 2014 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Olympics Canada profile". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ↑ "Erica Wiebe, Korey Jarvis take Commonwealth wrestling gold". CBC Sports. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ↑ Gillespie, Kerry (23 June 2016). "Canadian wrestlers keep getting up off the mat". Toronto, Canada: Toronto Star. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ↑ "Canadian Wrestling Team Nominated for Rio 2016". www.wrestling.ca/. Wrestling Canada. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ↑ Benjamin Blum (August 18, 2016). "Wrestler Erica Wiebe wins Canada's 4th gold medal at Rio Olympics". CBC Sports.
- ↑ "Olympics Daytime". Rio 2016. 18 August 2016. CBC.
External links
−72 kg (2004-2012); −75 kg (2016-) | |
