Olympic champion Erica Wiebe eyes comeback to competition since March with the Individual World Cup. Wrestling Canada Lutte on Friday announced that the she will be taking part in the competition at women’s 76kg scheduled in December in Belgrade, Canada.
“It’s been really crazy because in my 10 years on the Canadian national team, I’ve never not competed for this long,” said the 31-year-old from Stittsville, Ont.
“I’m wrestling and training better than I ever have. I’ve just taken so much time to develop, to really dig into some technical and tactical skills. The training volumes are so different compared to when we’re traveling to Europe every month.
“When I think about competing in Serbia in three weeks, it’s really exciting to just see where I’m at, to experience a competitive environment and go through that process,” she told Canadian news daily, Airdrietoday.Wiebe had confirmed an Olympic berth after winning gold at the Pan American Olympic Qualification in Ottawa in March. Less than two weeks later, the Summer Olympics were postponed until 2021.
The world cup will give her an opportunity to navigate the pandemic pitfalls and reboot her competitive journey to Tokyo.The tournament Dec. 12-18 in Serbia’s capital city was initially the world championship. With some countries unable or unwilling to attend, it was downgraded to a World Cup.
Wrestling Canada used the return-to-competition assessment tool developed by Own The Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee, as well as consulting medical experts, to determine how safe it was for Canadian athletes to compete in Belgrade.
“They are precious cargo,” Ó’Ceallacháin said. “We take it very seriously how we’re going to take care of them.
“Serbia has been very good at providing extensive documentation in terms of what their plans are and what they’re going to do. We feel they’re doing everything they possibly can.
“We’re full of trepidation, anxiety, but we’re also excited to get back at it.”
Wiebe intends to take part in Alberta’s rapid-testing pilot program for international travellers at the Calgary airport upon return.
That could shorten her quarantine from the required 14 days if Wiebe tests negative. Competing in Belgrade means she won’t spend the holidays with her family in Ontario. “It’s a really big sacrifice that’s really important for me right now,” Wiebe said.