Stab Magazine | John Florence Suffers Injury That'll (Likely) Sideline Him For The Foreseeable Future

Live Now — 1-Week Premium Peek — Episode 2 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

591 Views

John Florence Suffers Injury That’ll (Likely) Sideline Him For The Foreseeable Future

Will the reigning World Champ be out for the remainder of the season?

news // Jun 5, 2018
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ronnie Blakey alluded to John John Florence being injured on the finals day post-show yesterday, tonight, it looks as if these rumours are unfortunately true.

John Florence is injured and most likely out. 

Details aren’t yet officially confirmed, but a reliable source has informed Stab that John injured both his ACL and LCL while surfing after being eliminated from the event. 

Initially, the injury looked as if it might only keep John John out of the Margaret River make-up at Uluwatu, leaving him with a Round 3 finish back in April and Mikey Wright with a walkthrough into Round 4 in the next few days.

The injury now appears worse than expected. It looks as if John John will be out of competition for the foreseeable future and potentially the remainder of the year – leaving the door open for John to take the injury wildcard for 2019, leaving himself, Kelly Slater and Caio Ibelli fighting for the two spots typically awarded as injury wildcards. 

Despite the injury, John is still currently residing near Uluwatu on the Indonesian island with the rest of the Johntourage.  

As has been well documented by ourselves, the WSL and every awkward post-heat interview with John thus far, he’s had an uncharacteristically poor start to his 2018. 

Topics have revolved around everything from a lack of confidence, to a slump in form, but more than anything, it looks as if John has lost competitive drive – the confidence and form are there. The sheer luck and interest are not. 

And one reported demotivater for John’s lack of competitive interest this year is (un)surprisngly the hassling incident with Zeke at Bells.  

Zeke was a childhood friend of John, and as much as the ‘excessive hassling’ took many watching by surprise, it has also reportedly taken a toll on John himself. 

The WSL is persistently focussed on the incident, Zeke evidently is (after his Instagram post) and other competitors are treating John differently since the occurrence. It isn’t so much the incident itself that’s affected John, but the aftermath. 

While the thought of seeing John focus on video output is enticing, seeing him progress surfing on the webcast is tough to beat.  

Stab wishes John all the best in recovery and hope to see him back on the podium – where he belongs – after a (hopefully) short hiatus.  

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

“I Lost Everything I’ve Ever Owned, But This Board Came Back”

One month after the LA wildfires, a surfboard washed ashore.

Jun 24, 2025

Shock Therapy: World 1 & 2 Eliminated Early In Saquarema

Gabriela Bryan and Caity Simmers fall victim on Day 1 of the Vivo Rio Pro.

Jun 22, 2025

German University Surf Contest Derails After Local Pushes Competitor Off Wave

The story behind the shove, and why wave-rental politics turned physical in Seignosse.

Jun 22, 2025

An Accidental 90-Minute Chat With Caity Simmers

A Stab Interview on life, individuality, and chimpanzee research initiatives.

Jun 21, 2025

No Tears In Saquarema

Can anyone other than Italo, Filipe or Yago win the Vivo Rio Pro?

Jun 20, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 2

Our seven surviving surfers confront an oddly large California beach break.

Jun 19, 2025

Why Is One Of The World’s Longest Lefts Being Bulldozed?

Pavones residents displaced as excavators move in.

Jun 19, 2025

The Seven Surfing Conspiracies

Inside surfing’s shadow government: what they don’t want you to know.

Jun 18, 2025

Mongrels Flood The Mondrian, Doped Youth Resurfaces in Versace

An autopsy of the Solento Surf Film Festival — and a breakdown of the biggest…

Jun 18, 2025

The Billion Dollar Hole Behind Lakey Peak: Should Surfers Be Worried?

A massive gold mine is being excavated behind the Indonesian surf village, fueled by foreign…

Jun 17, 2025

Record-Smashing Surf Coach Eyes Off His Next Victim: Sydney Olympic Park

Blakey Johnson’s July plans: survive 108+ hours in the cool, recirculated waters of URBNSURF. 

Jun 17, 2025

Watch: Milk & Honey, Presented By YETI & Sun Bum

A surf film starring Stephanie Gilmore, Caity Simmers, Coco Ho, and Frankie Harrer.

Jun 17, 2025

Stab Interview: WSL Tour President Graham Stapelberg On The Changes And Challenge(r)s Of The Post-Cut Era

Maxing Pipe, Triple Crown realities, Jordy Smith, sponsors up the yin-yang, and more.

Jun 16, 2025

Was That The Best Day Of Performance Surfing In 2025?

Kerrupt flips, double airs, and a cornucopia of 9 point waves.

Jun 15, 2025

Watch: Albee Layer Drops His Second Stab Edit Of The Year In 4 Months

And we dare say "Less Than Easy" is even better than the former.

Jun 13, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 1

Our first loser goes home in this "king of the hill" showdown.

Jun 12, 2025

How To Convince A Bunch Of Small Town Floridians That They Need A Wavepool

Warren Smith is creatively diversifying the tourism portfolio of his hometown.

Jun 12, 2025

Italo And Filipe Lost, But Surfing Won Today

No shortage of excellence on Day Two at Lowers.

Jun 11, 2025
Advertisement