Owen Wright withdraws from first half of WSL season

Mr Wright has officially withdrawn from the opening half of the 2016 season due to his head injury that took place prior to the Pipe Masters. Before the event he was a standout in the freesurfs. Anyone who watched him from the safety of the sand would tell you he was a favourite to win. Owen went home after a serious flogging, took a nap and woke up feeling disoriented. An ambulance picked him up from the Rip Curl house on December 10th and he was forced to withdraw from the event and the title race. Owen remained under medical care for a few weeks in Hawaii before returning to Oz for ongoing observation.

“It’s disappointing to have to withdraw from the opening events of the year, but the important thing is to ensure that I am 100% healthy for when I return to that level of competition,” Owen told the WSL. “I’ve been working regularly with top specialists in the country and they’ve given me a lengthy rehabilitation time before I’m able to feel normal again and a period of time after that before they’re confident I can perform at the elite level without additional risk. Head injuries are tricky in terms of mapping out recovery time and it’s possible that I may not be able to pull the jersey on all year. I want to thank my family, friends, fans, sponsors and the WSL for their ongoing support.”

This is reminiscent of his back injury back in 2013 that took him out for the season. Being the true animal that he is he bounced back into title contention after long recovery road. We hope to see his head get sorted and have him back in the fashion we know and love. Remember his two perfect heats at Cloudbreak last year? The man’s an axe in hollow juice, one of the tour’s most exciting competitors.

“Very sad to see someone of Owen’s caliber suffer such serious injury,” WSL Commissioner, Kieren Perrow said. “The important thing is that he’s on the road to recovery and taking the appropriate time to ensure that he is 100% before returning to competition. While it’s unfortunate news for the sport and its fans, we’re fully supportive of Owen taking the time he needs and wish him a full and speedy recovery.”