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.
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]
Wiebe was named flag-bearer for the closing ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.[15]