Emma Twigg has established herself as one of the world's premier single scullers.
With an international rowing career spanning 16 years, Emma has racked up nine national titles and became a World Champion in 2014. The four time Olympian competed at Beijing, London, Rio and more recently Tokyo, where she won Gold in the women's single, in an Olympic Best Time. In doing so, Emma became New Zealand's 48th Olympic gold medallist and the only New Zealand female to win the Olympic Single Scull event.
Her rowing resume includes a Senior, U23 and Junior World title a trifecta rarely achieved in the single scull and has not placed outside the top four in the world since 2009.
Emma took 2015 off from international competition and moved to Europe to complete the FIFA Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, building on an undergraduate degree from the University of Waikato.
After placing 4th in Rio, narrowly missing out on a medal, Emma unofficially retired from rowing and worked for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland. It was during her time at the IOC that she was inspired to get back in a boat in 2018 and set her sights on a fourth Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Emma intends to make the most of the privilege of being an elite athlete. A key driver in her Tokyo campaign has been the belief that she can inspire others and be a positive role model for all New Zealanders.
Emma was fantastic, really interesting to hear her story and she shared it in a way that was inspiring and constructive to those also striving towards their goals. ... keep reading Bell Gully
