CALGARY – A lot has changed for Erica Wiebe since her last World Championships.

The 29-year-old last competed at the Senior World Championships in 2014 in Uzbekistan. Since then, Wiebe has gone on to become an Olympic champion, win a second Commonwealth Games gold medal and become an ambassador for women in sport.

Wiebe will be competing at 76 kg, a highly anticipated weight class that will feature three-time world champion Adeline Gray of USA and 2017 world champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey.

Wrestling Canada Lutte checked in with the Stittsville, Ont., native to see what she’s focused on in her final weeks of preparation.

Q & A with Erica Wiebe

You’re going back to the World Championships, what are you most looking forward to this year?

There’s been lots of changes to the game and I am looking forward to representing Canada alongside my 9 other teammates. From top to bottom we have an incredible team and it’ll be fun to show the world what we can do.

You’ve competed a lot in 2018, how has your training been going leading up to the championships?

I love to go out and compete against the best in the world but I also always look forward to putting in the work at home. It’s been great to be home and work with my team; Paul, Mitch, Erin, Kelly, and the rest of the crew has been challenging me everyday to grow and transform into a more dangerous athlete. This year I’ve also been balancing a flexible work arrangement at Deloitte which has been incredibly impactful in helping me to balance my life and be challenged on and off the mats.

What are you most focused on as worlds approaches?

Making the most of each and every day of training.

There’s a lot of hype around the 76 kg weight class. What are your thoughts on some of your rivals and how do you expect to compete against them?

It speaks to the growth of women’s wrestling and the depth of talent at the top weight class. I respect all my competitors and I’m looking forward to showcasing why I’m 2016 Olympic Champion. (There are) lots of great competitors at 76 kg; China, Estonia, Turkey, Belarus, Germany, Russia. Good news is that I don’t have to beat all of them; just have to focus on winning the first match.

How does this tournament fit into your big picture plan towards Tokyo 2020?

I want to have a quality performance at the 2018 World Championships. I want to wrestle my best and showcase the sport of women’s wrestling. It is certainly a stepping stone towards building to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and my big picture plans are focused on how I want to wrestle and be better each day in that journey.

Wiebe will be competing in the 76 kg qualification rounds on October 23 in Budapest. Read more about the entire Senior World Championships team here.