| Full name | Erica Elizabeth Wiebe |
|---|---|
| Birth date | June 13, 1989 (age 37) |
| Birth place | Stittsville, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 175 cm |
| Weight | 76 kg |
| Country | Canada |
| Sport | Wrestling |
| Event | Freestyle |
| Universityteam | University of Calgary |
| Retired | 2024 |
Erica Elizabeth Wiebe (born June 13, 1989)[1] is a Canadian retired[2] wrestler. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in women's 75 kg freestyle. Wiebe was the third Canadian champion ever in wrestling at the Olympics, and second Canadian woman to win gold after Carol Huynh. Wiebe also won gold at two Commonwealth Games: the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
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.[3] 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.[3] At the 2013 World University Games Wiebe won a bronze medal in the women's 72 kg freestyle weight class.[3]
She had an incredibly successful 2014 season when she won every individual tournament she entered, a streak of 36 matches.[3] 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."[4] Wiebe would also win gold at the 2015 World University Games.[3] At the esteemed 2015 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin she won the gold medal in her weight class.[5] 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.[6][7] 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."[8] 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.[9]
Following her gold in Rio, Wiebe began wrestling in the Indian Pro Wrestling League where she was the captain of the Mumbai Maharathi.[10] 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.[10] 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.[10]
In 2021, she won the gold medal in the 76 kg event at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 held in Rome, Italy.[11] She also won one of the bronze medals in her event at the 2021 Poland Open held in Warsaw, Poland.[12][13]
Upon her retirement in 2024, Wiebe was working for the Canadian Olympic Committee, as Manager of Athlete Relations, Safe Sport and DEI.[14] She has also been a broadcast commentator for wrestling, first at the Senior Asian Championships in 2023 and then the Senior World Championships, as well as other events.[2]
Education
Erica Weibe completed her secondary school education at Sacred Heart High School then she continued on to the university level where Weibe graduated for the University of Calgary with Bachelors of Arts (Honors) and she also earned a joint MBA from Queens University and Cornell University . [15]
International matches
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 World Bronze Medallist | |||||||
| 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 | Paliha | 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 Yerkebayeva | 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.[16] ReferencesExternal links | |||||||
References
- ^ "Glasgow 2014 profile". 2014 Commonwealth Games. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- ^ "Erica Wiebe announces retirement from competition". SIRC. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Results Book". Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2015. Archived 26 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Gillespie, Kerry (23 June 2016). "Canadian wrestlers keep getting up off the mat". 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. CBC. 18 August 2016.
- ^ Callum Ng (January 9, 2017). "It's real and it's spectacular: Erica Wiebe stars in India's flashy Pro Wrestling League". CBC Sports
- ^ "Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021". United World Wrestling. Archived 21 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ Rowbottom, Mike (10 June 2021). "Stadnik unstoppable on day one of women's wrestling at Poland Open". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "2021 Poland Open Results Book". United World Wrestling. Archived 4 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Team behind the team: Meet Olympic wrestling champion Erica Wiebe, now Manager of Athlete Relations, Safe Sport and DEI at the COC". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ https://commonwealthsport.ca/news/featured/commonwealth-and-olympic-champion-erica-wiebe-announced-team-canada-chef-de-mission-2026-commonwealth-games.html
- ^ "Erica Wiebe named Canada's flag-bearer for Commonwealth closing ceremony | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2018-04-15.