Visualising winning gold in front of a packed crowd at the Paralympics is one thing, delivering is another – and Emma Wiggs is continuing to make her imagination come to life.
It has been a difficult past few years for Wiggs, who split from her coach after Tokyo 2020 and battled with injury.
But Wiggs refused to give up on her dream of a third successive Paralympic crown as she pictured the roar of the crowd in Paris.
There have been many wet and hard days in Nottingham where she has been training, but images of the large stand at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium have been strong in her mind in her quest for glory.
Those pictures were turned into reality as Wiggs powered to victory in the women’s VL2 final, thanks to the backing of her fans.
“I never, ever get up and think ‘Oh no I have got to get to work’. I think ‘Come on’,” said Wiggs.
“Even when it is horrible, horrendous weather in Nottingham, I think ‘right, let’s get at it’.
“I have done lots of visualisation of the crowd and the stand.
“Today I looked up and I could see these red t-shirts and I just knew they were my lot, so I just said ‘hey guys. Right, let’s do this’ - and I just went for it.
“I find it so hard to know where I am when I am racing but I just felt this surge and this energy from the crowd and just made every stroke for them.
“I actually put them on the buoys in the last 100m.
“Every buoy was a different part of the family.
“I just ticked them off as I went past.
“Each 10 metres was for them and it got me to the finish.”
Wiggs said her support team has been crucial in helping her overcome adversity to back up the success of Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 with another gold.
“I wasn’t quite sure what was possible this year,” said Wiggs.
“There have been some really tough years since Tokyo, so I am just so grateful to my coach, Brenden, and so chuffed to be able to put one in the bag for the team.
“It’s a phenomenal team to be a part of.
“I’m just blown away that this is possible.
“Post Tokyo, I had a breakdown in my relationship with my coach and it was a really tough time.
“I have had quite a significant shoulder injury that I will probably get surgery on next week, so we will see what happens.
“It’s the ups and downs of sport and it is what it is.
“You need good people around you and I am so lucky to have those 38 people wearing red t-shirts who have been there all the way through everything.
“Just credit to them and credit to my team.
“You really couldn’t do it without them and I think to not have them in Tokyo was tough, but I visualised that they were all there and today they are here.”
Wiggs is now a four-time Paralympic medallist, with three golds, and one silver and is poised to race in the women’s KL2 semi-finals on Sunday.
The 44-year-old insists “age is just a number” as she considers continuing her glittering career to Los Angeles 2028.
“LA sounds nice, right?” she said.
“My father and my stepmother actually live in Houston, Texas, and they are pushing for me to carry on, but I will have to go and talk with my wife and see what happens.
“There are no plans at the minute, as the boats are going fast and I am just loving every second.”
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