Emma Wright prepares to throw the ballDarren Calabrese/COC
Darren Calabrese/COC

Emma Wright

Biography

At age 16, Emma Wright was the youngest player, by more than four years, on the team that competed at the 2013 FINA World Championships. She also competed at the 2015, 2017, and 2019 World Championships. Her best result was the fourth-place finish in 2017, the same year she was part of Canada’s silver medal performance at the 2017 FINA World League Super Final. In 2021, she was part of Canada’s fourth-place finish at the FINA World League Super Final, the team’s first competition in more than 18 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At age 18, Wright was the youngest player on the team that won silver at the 2015 Pan American Games. She added another silver at the 2019 Pan Am Games where that result secured the team’s ticket to Tokyo 2020. In her Olympic debut, Wright scored seven goals as Canada finished seventh. 

Among Wright’s junior successes were gold at the 2013 Junior Pan Am Games to go with silver and bronze at the Junior Pan Am Championships in 2012 and 2014. She went on to be the captain of the squad that won silver at the 2014 FINA World Youth Championships.

A Little More About Emma 

Getting into the Sport: Started playing water polo at age 9… Her mother and other siblings would drive to Toronto every night for practices and she was too young to stay home alone so she was forced to go… Didn’t really like water polo at first but it grew on her… Outside Interests: Attends and plays water polo at the University of California Berkeley… Enjoys a good movie night…  Odds and Ends: Listening to music is key to her pregame routine…Collects shot glasses on her travels… Nickname: Em, Emma Lou… Older sister Claire was also a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic water polo team… 

Olympic Highlights

Games Sport Event Finish
Tokyo 2020Water PoloWomen's7
Paris 2024Water PoloWomen's8

Notable International Results

Olympic Games: 2024 - 8th; 2020 - 7th

Pan American Games: 2023 - SILVER; 2019 - SILVER; 2015 - SILVER

World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup: 2018 - 6th

World Aquatics Championships: 2024 - 8th; 2023 - 7th; 2022 - 9th; 2019 – 9th; 2017 - 4th; 2015 - 11th; 2013 - 8th

World Aquatics Junior Championships: 2015 - 4th; 2013 - 9th; 2011 - 9th

World Aquatics Youth Championships: 2014 - SILVER

UANA Pan American Championships: 2023 - GOLD; 2019 - GOLD

UANA Pan American Junior Championships: 2014 - BRONZE; 2012 - SILVER