Hometown gal Erica Wiebe's Olympic gold celebrated by Ottawa wrestling community

About a dozen members of the National Capital WrestlingClub(NCWC)jumped out of their seats and chanted "ER-I-CA! ER-I-CA! as it became clear one of their own had clinched gold at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Erica Wiebe, 27, from Ottawa'sStittsvillesuburb,beatGuzelManyurovaof Kazakhstan6-0 in the 75-kilogram final Thursday afternoon.

"It'sjust so exciting to watch Erica. She killed it," saidNCWC head women's coach Deborah Jehu."What she's done for women in wrestling has been just amazing."

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The gold medal will surely inspire girls to think about wrestling as a positive empowering sport, she added.

Sporting a T-shirtemblazoned with Wiebe's name,19-year-old club wrestler Andrea Pretty said Wiebehas always been an inspiration, but watching her reach the Olympic podiumhas really had an impact.

"It shows you,like, if I keep up, you know, I can do this," Pretty said."And I could be there. You know, I started the same age she did, and came from the same sort of small town, so if she can make it, maybe I can make it."

Wiebe started wrestling with the club when she was still ahigh school student at Sacred Heart in Stittsville.

NCWC head coach Chris Schrauwensaid Wiebe has always continued her relationship with the clubdespite moving on to the international stage. He said he remembers what it was like to train withWiebewhen they were inhigh school, and that hewasn't surprised by her triumph in Rio.

But watching her win 6-0 to securegold, "it just blew my mind, we were all just freaking out," he said.

They weren't the only ones in Ottawa freaking out.

A group of friends, family and admirers also turned out at a local bar in Stittsville to cheer on their favourite daughter.

And in Calgary, whichshe now calls home, the "be-Wiebers" were out in full form, cheering Canada's golden wrestler.