Owen Wright officially withdraws from rest of 2016 season
TORQUAY, Australia (Wednesday, July 20, 2016) - Owen Wright (AUS) has withdrawn from the second half of the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour season, choosing to focus on continued rehabilitation following his December head injury.
“It’s always difficult being away from the water for me,” Wright said. “It’s also a major challenge to give myself time to heal because I want to be back in the singlet so badly. That said, I understand that I have more rehabilitation ahead of me until that’s possible. I’m feeling better every day and I want to thank everyone for the support so far. I miss my friends and family on tour and I’m looking forward to seeing them all again soon. Thanks again for the support.”
A WSL Title contender in the 2015 race, Wright suffered a serious concussion in the leadup to the final event of the season, the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons, at the world-famous Banzai Pipeline. A standout in the warm-up sessions ahead of the event, Wright was mowed down by a sizable swell on the morning of December 10 with the impact causing a serious head trauma. Withdrawing from both the event and the title race, Wright remained under medical observation in Hawaii before traveling back to Australia to receive ongoing treatment.
Prior to the start of the 2016 season, the Australian announced his withdrawal from the opening half of the year. While having made considerable progress in his rehabilitation, Wright has chosen to continue his road to recovery throughout the rest of the year before returning to the elite level of competition.
“Owen is one of the most impressive athletes to ever grace our sport and the WSL fully supports him taking the time he needs to return to 100%,” Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner, said. “He’s been sorely missed on tour this year, but I know that he’s in all our thoughts and we all look forward to seeing him healthy again and sharing the lineup with us.”
Wright’s WSL Top 34 position in the remaining events of the season - Tahiti, Trestles, France, Portugal and Pipeline - will be filled by first replacement Stuart Kennedy (AUS).
Comments
Sorely missed but all the best for a speedy and full recovery.
Probably my favourite surfer. Teahupo and Pipeline won't be the same without him. Definitely the best big-barrel charging surfer in competition, in my humble opinion.
+1
Is anyone else thinking that he might not ever be back?
Yes - I have a sinking feeling :(
Maybe its just that we don't know details, but a serious 'concusion' could have long term consequences ?
We will miss him for sure!
Owen would be the tallest on tour? Bede's a big dude too! Jordy's 6'3" they've all had serious injuries but in my mind there the ones you wanna watch! Powerful surfing is where it's at! Come back Owen!! Perfect 10's
Hope ripcurl will fund him till the end...
Awesome to watch him surf pumping lefts...
I hope that he is 'getting there', wherever 'there' may be. It might not mean he's going to be back on tour, or even surfing, who knows? They're certainly keeping a tight lid on it all and probably for very good reasons.
It would be good to know what stage of rehabilitation he is at but I guess it's not as simple as that or the secrecy may just be for Owen's best interests to keep the public and media at bay so as to let him heal without the distractions a professional athlete and celebrity face. I do think most people's interest is genuine however as from the comments above and many other forums like this, the general consensus is that Owen gives a lot of people joy and entertainment when he surfs.