Emma is competing in two events in the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics later this summer. The KL2 event is a really challenging one, with her teammate Charlotte Henshaw being the current world champion. However, Emma hopes a good delivery will keep her in the fight for the medals. These Games see the introduction of the Va’a events, and Emma will race in the VL2 and aim to make history as one of only a few athletes who will ‘double up’ and attempt to medal in two different events. Emma qualified for both events thanks to her outstanding success in the 2019 World Championships hosted in Hungary where she won gold in the VL2 and silver in the KL2. You can read more about Emma’s success in Hungary here.
Emma will be hoping to cap off what is set to be an outstanding summer of sport, with the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place following last year’s postponement due to the pandemic. Emma’s heats for both events will be on 2nd September, with the VL2 final scheduled for the following day and the KL2 final to be held on the 4th of September.
In addition to training six days a week in preparation, Emma has also taken up a de-facto ambassadorial role ahead of Tokyo, appearing in an advert for the National Lottery alongside five fellow athletes including Jonnie Peacock and Tom Bosworth to promote this year’s Olympics and Paralympics. Emma has also been heavily involved with Vitality Health, leading a discussion with sports psychologist Dr Emma Ross to discuss the taboos that exist around women’s health, which you can watch on YouTube here.
Emma is thrilled to be competing in her third Paralympics, having represented Great Britain in the Sitting Team Volleyball event at the London 2012 Paralympics, before switching sports to Paracanoe and winning gold in Rio in the KL2 event.
“It will be a very different Games – we can’t get away from that. But I feel quite positive and excited about the fact it will be a moment to showcase some sporting performances that will bring some positivity and inspiration. I hope we can use it as an opportunity to celebrate our efforts to overcome the really significant challenges of the last year.” Read Emma’s full interview where she discussed her excitement at competing in two events and the support provided by the National Lottery here.
You can find out more about the athletes competing in Tokyo on the Paralympics GB website here.