Erica Wiebe

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. She was the third Canadian champion ever in wrestling at the Olympics, and second Canadian woman to win gold after Carol Huynh. Wiebe is also the current Commonwealth Games champion in the same weight class, having won the gold medal at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Gold Coast, respectively.

Erica Wiebe
Personal information
Full nameErica Elizabeth Wiebe
NationalityCanadian
Born (1989-06-13) 13 June 1989
Stittsville, Ontario, Canada
ResidenceCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
CountryCanada
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle
University teamUniversity of Calgary
Medal record
Women's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro 75 kg
World Wrestling Championships
2018 Budapest76 kg
Commonwealth Games
2014 Glasgow 75 kg
2018 Gold Coast 76 kg
Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin
2015 Krasnoyarsk 75 kg
Summer Universiade
2013 Kazan72 kg
Updated on 23 February 2018.

Career

Wiebe started wrestling in grade 9 when she saw a sign posted for co-ed wrestling at her school, Sacred Heart High School in Stittsville, Ontario.[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]

Following her gold in Rio, Wiebe began wrestling in the Indian Pro Wrestling League where she is captain of the Mumbai Maharathi.[8] Wiebe's salary in the league is 4.3 million Indian rupees, which equates to more than $80,000 Canadian dollars, this makes her one of the highest paid wrestlers in the world.[8] The event ran from January 2–19, 2017, where Wiebe wrestled to a perfect 3-0 in her bouts with the Maharathi, though the team's overall record was 1-2.[8]

International matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2018 World Bronze Medalist
Win 17-4 Epp Mäe 4-0 October 24, 2018 2018 World Championships Budapest
Loss 16-4 Adeline Gray 1-3 October 23, 2018
Win 16-3 Aline Focken 6-4
Win 15-3 Pa Liha 3-0
2018 Commonwealth Games champion
Win 14-3 Blessing Onyebuchi Fall April 12, 2018 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast
Win 13-3 Georgina Nelthorpe Tech Fall (11-0)
Win 12-3 Hajaratu Kamara Fall
2016 Olympic champion
Win 11-3 Guzel Manyurova 6-0 August 18, 2016 2016 Summer Olympics Rio de Janeiro
Win 10-3 Vasilisa Marzaliuk 3-0
Win 9-3 Zhang Fengliu 5-2
Win 8-3 Epp Mäe 6-4
at 2014 World Championships
Loss 7-3 Epp Mäe Fall September 11, 2014 2014 World Championship Tashkent
Win 7-2 Gulmaral Erkebayeva 8-0
2014 Commonwealth Games champion
Win 6-2 Annabelle Ali 4-2 April 29, 2014 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow
Win 5-2 Jyoti 9-0
Win 4-2 Blessing Onyebuchi Tech Fall (10-0)
Win 3-2 Sophie Edwards Tech Fall (10-0)
at 2013 World Championships
Loss 2-2 Ochirbatyn Burmaa 3-5 September 20, 2013 2013 World Championship Budapest
Loss 2-1 Natalia Vorobieva Fall
Win 2-0 Jenny Fransson Fall
Win 1-0 Lisset Hechavarría 7-0

Wiebe was named flag-bearer for the closing ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.[9]

References
  1. "Glasgow 2014 profile". 2014 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  2. "Olympics Canada profile". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  3. "Erica Wiebe, Korey Jarvis take Commonwealth wrestling gold". CBC Sports. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. Gillespie, Kerry (23 June 2016). "Canadian wrestlers keep getting up off the mat". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  5. "Canadian Wrestling Team Nominated for Rio 2016". www.wrestling.ca/. Wrestling Canada. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  6. Benjamin Blum (August 18, 2016). "Wrestler Erica Wiebe wins Canada's 4th gold medal at Rio Olympics". CBC Sports.
  7. "Olympics Daytime". Rio 2016. 18 August 2016. CBC.
  8. Callum Ng (January 9, 2017). "It's real and it's spectacular: Erica Wiebe stars in India's flashy Pro Wrestling League". CBC Sports.
  9. "Erica Wiebe named Canada's flag-bearer for Commonwealth closing ceremony | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
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