| Erica Scarff | |
| Full Name: | Erica Carmela Scarff |
| Sport: | Paracanoe |
| Disability: | Osteosarcoma survivor |
| Disability Class: | KL3 |
| Club: | Balmy Beach Canoe Club, Toronto, Canada |
| Coach: | Mari Ellery |
| Birth Date: | 16 August 1996 |
| Hometown: | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma Mater: | Brock University (St. Catharines) |
Erica Scarff (born 16 August 1996) is a Canadian paracanoeist who competes in international level events.[1]
She was a former national gymnast before she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma aged twelve after she broke her right leg when she ran into a vault in her gymnastics training session. Her leg was amputated soon after, in 2009.[2] Scarff was a very active person before her diagnosis: she tried swimming, cycling and alpine skiing but chose canoeing. Since her diagnosis, she was inspired by Terry Fox who also had the same cancer as she did.[3] [4]
Scarff attended Brock University and studied kinesiology.[5]
Scarff began her paracanoe journey after visiting Balmy Beach Canoe Club in 2013, training there under Mari Ellery. In 2014, she took a semester off from her studies at Brock University to train paracanoe in Florida. She placed sixth in the women's KL3 200-metre race at the 2016 Paracanoe World Championships.[6]
Scarff competed in paracanoe at the 2016 Paralympics, the year the sport made is Paralympic debut.[7] [8] She place seventh in the women’s KL3 paracanoe sprints at the Games, 2.56 seconds behind the gold medalist.[9] At the 2017 Canoe Sprint World Cup, Scarff won bronze in the women's KL3 200-metre.[10] She placed first at the 2018 National Team Selections in the Para K1 women's 200-metre.[11]
In 2021, Scarff began training VL3.[12] In the women’s VL3 200-metre at the 2023 ICF World Canoe and Kayak Sprint Championships, Scarff won silver.[13] She also won three gold medals in sit skiing at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.[14] [15]
Scarff will compete for Canada in paracanoe at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[16]
Scarff was hit by a car in 2018, resulting in injuries causing setbacks to her paracanoe career,[17] including not qualifying for the 2020 Summer Paralympics.