Remembering the highs and lows of the Australian’s storied competitive surfing career, as he heads into his final event at Bells Beach.
The sports world loves stories of triumph over tragedy, victory in the face of adversity, et cetera et cetera. And surfing is no different – just look at Owen Wright.
Throughout his decade-plus at the top level of competitive surfing, Owen experienced numerous highs and lows – from perfect heats, to his traumatic brain injury in 2015, to returning to competition and winning events once again. And after all this time, Owen recently announced his retirement from the Championship Tour. The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will be Owen’s last event, and so, it’s worth taking a look back at his storied career. Watch the highlight reel below:
“As @owright paddles out, let’s take a look back on his incredible career & journey,” wrote Rip Curl, Owen’s main sponsor, about the clip.
“With a flair & style that sets the goofy footer apart from the rest, Owen has become a true icon of the sport- inspiring surfers & fans around the globe. Wishing Ow the best of luck in this year’s #RipCurlPro Bells Beach – his last event on the @wsl CT before he hangs up the rashie for good.”
For a quick refresher: Owen Wright was a force to be reckoned with during his early years on the Championship Tour. In 2011, he won the legendary event held in Long Island, New York – which came with a $300,000 check, the largest prize purse in surfing history at the time. He went on to win the Fiji Pro in 2015, nabbing a perfect 20-point heat along the way.
Then, tragedy struck in Hawaii. During the winter season of 2015, Owen suffered a traumatic brain injury while surfing Pipeline. He was sidelined from competition for the following year.
But in 2017, Owen came back strong, and won the first event of the year on the Gold Coast of Australia as a wildcard. He also went to surfing’s first-ever Olympics in Tokyo 2020, where he brought home a bronze medal for Australia. And along the way, Owen’s been a vocal advocate of helmets and the seriousness of brain injuries in the sport of surfing.
No doubt, Owen Wright will go down in history as one of the greats. Cheers, Ow.
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