Owen Wright Hospitalised after Pipeline beating

Owen Wright has been taken to hospital after copping the beating of a lifetime during a free surf at Pipe this morning. “He got a nug, then a big wide set came and he got three or four on the head,” says Rip Curl teammate Matt Wilkinson, who watched it unfold from the balcony of the Rip Curl house. “Mick (Fanning) got one of them and dove off next to him, they both got smashed together for two or three more, and Owen just let himself get washed in ’cause he was flogged.” Owen returned to the team house, lay down, and started to feel ill. “He came in and felt weird and couldn’t really speak or anything… It was like his body was completely out of fuel, it was pretty scary looking,” said Wilko. An ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital. Early reports are that his vitals are good and he is in no immediate danger. It is unclear whether he will be fit to compete in the Pipe Masters, due to start in the coming days. Ranked a distant chance of winning the world title at Pipe Masters, Owen has been dominating the freesurf sessions at the peak in the lead up to the event. “The last few days’ big swells he’s been the undeniable stand out, getting the biggest nugs,” says Wilko. “I don’t know if he’s even got his hair wet. He’s just been paddling out, getting a couple of bombs, and coming in smiling.” His luck ran out today, capping a bad week for pro surfers on the North Shore with Evan Geiselman’s near-death experience. “It’s scary,” laughs Wilko. “I just wanna get this (contest) finished and go home for summer where everyone is safe and it’s fun.”