Emma Twigg

Emma Twigg is an Olympic gold and silver medallist having won the women's single scull event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and placed second at Paris 2024.

Twigg looked a cut above in Tokyo, finishing in 7min 13.97sec, nearly three and a-half seconds clear of the silver medallist. The result was the first time a New Zealander had won the women’s single scull event.

In Paris, Twigg came second to brilliant Dutch rower Karolien Florijn, who won the world title in 2023 and 2024. Florijn won in 7min 17.28s, Twigg was second in 7min 19.14s and Lithuanian Viktorija Senkute was third in 7min 20.85s.

The Hawke’s Bay rower was 21 when she appeared in her first Olympics, in Beijing in 2008, where she placed ninth in the single sculls.

Four years later in London she was frustratingly close to a medal but had to settle for fourth. It was the same story in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, even though by then she had won a world title and was a strong medal hope.

Based in Cambridge and coached by Mike Rodger, Twigg has a number of qualifications, including a Bachelor of Communication and a master's degree in international sports management (FIFA). She is a cycle mechanic, a marriage celebrant, and has completed her boat master's qualification.

She is a proud mother of son Tommy.