BRANDENBURG — Paralympic paracanoeist Emma Wiggs won the women's VL2 200m event at the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup in Brandenburg, finishing in one minute and 5.48 seconds. The time placed her more than a second ahead of Canadian runner-up Brianna Hennessy.

The race was Wiggs's first competitive event in 18 months, following shoulder surgery she underwent after the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she won gold and silver medals. She had not paddled since those Games and, at 45 years old, had considered retiring before returning to competition.

Wiggs described her state of mind before the start of the race in Brandenburg and the psychological challenge of returning to the sport after the long absence. "On the start line, I just felt really sick and that's not normal for me," she said. "Normally, I'm able to line up feeling confident that we've done the work we needed to do. And I know that I've done the work, but I think I've been battling with quite a deep crisis of confidence over the last year and a half. That voice has been loud, really loud," Wiggs said.

Wiggs has won five Paralympic canoeing medals, the most by any Paralympic canoeist, and is a 12-time world champion. Those five medals comprise three gold and two silver. She contracted an unknown virus at the age of 18, which caused lasting nerve damage and paralysis in her legs. She hopes to return to both kayak and Va'a canoe racing at the European Championships in June in Portugal.