Bellary (Karnataka), Jan 6 Olympic gold medallist and Canadian wrestling legend, Erica Wiebe, is set to conduct a camp for female Indian wrestlers at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Vijayanagar this month as part of the second edition of the IIS Excellence Accelerator.
The Masterclass, a first-of-its-kind, aims to bring world-class expertise to the IIS United World Wrestling (UWW) International Women’s Wrestling Camp and follows the inaugural edition, held with Georgian Judo legend Lasha Shavdatuashvili.
Wiebe had an unbelievably incredible 2014 season where she won every single tournament she competed in, creating a winning streak of 36 matches. She went on to win gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 75kg Freestyle category and followed it up with another gold in 2018. In the summer of 2016, she won the coveted gold at the Rio Olympics. Following her triumph in Rio, she was part of the inaugural edition of the Indian Pro Wrestling League as captain of the Mumbai Maharathi.
“We are very excited about Erica coming to IIS. The vision behind this masterclass is to expose our young athletes to Olympic champions and their journey- what it takes to be an Olympic Gold medalist,” said Manisha Malhotra, President of the IIS, in a release on Monday.
Wiebe, who is only the second Canadian woman to win gold at the Olympics, will share her expertise on technique and impart her invaluable experience to IIS female wrestlers, as well as participants at the IIS UWW International Women’s Wrestling Camp, hailing from over eight different countries.
The Excellence Accelerator with Erica Wiebe series represents a unique opportunity for young Indian wrestlers to interact with some of the world’s best, creating a unique opportunity for cross-cultural learning and collaboration, the release said.
“Erica is not just a great ambassador for the sport but also graduated to do an MBA and work for the Canadian Olympic Committee. Our athletes need to understand the perspective of how they can contribute to the sport even after their careers as athletes are over. We want to groom them to become better human beings first and this experience will give them a great insight into life after sport,” added Malhotra.
Wiebe's visit marks a significant moment in the Indian wrestling community, and IIS’ bid to nurture the next generation of young female wrestlers.
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