The 17-year-old, of Hawea Flat, has been racking up some superb results in karate competitions both nationally and internationally in the past year, and it has paid off.
The World Karate Federation updated its rankings at the turn of the month and Wigg has jumped from 41st into the top 10. She is now ranked the eighth-best junior female in the world at kata, where competitors perform set moves against each other.
She also moved up to 20th in kumite, which is fighting.
The jump comes after she picked up a gold medal in kata and silver in kumite at the Junior Oceania Championships in Auckland last month, earning her significant world ranking points.
Wigg said her Oceania victory was a ''big step'' for her career as she pursues the Olympic dream, which she describes as ''the ultimate goal''.
However, she remains grounded and has her eye set on medalling at a world event first.
''The Olympics is obviously something that everyone wants to go to but medalling at a world event would be a big thing for me because no-one from New Zealand has ever done that before.''
In June last year, Wigg competed in her first and only world event, in Croatia, and placed 11th out of 80 competitors in kata.
Although she did not finish on the podium, her mother, Caroline, described it as a ''phenomenal'' achievement and said the experience ''changed everything''.
''She learnt so much from being over there that she hasn't been beaten [in kata] since.''
A year 13 pupil at Mount Aspiring College, Wigg said she would focus on her studies for the rest of the year.
She wants to study sport and exercise and first-year teaching at university, although she is still tossing up attending the University of Otago or somewhere in Europe, where she can continue to pursue a career in karate.
''There's big choices to be made at the end of the year,'' Caroline said.
''Whatever it is, it'll be sport.''
