Owen Wright Didn’t Win Pipe, But He Will Be An Olympian

Owen Wright had a brutal awakening in December 2015. 

Prior to the Pipe Masters, where Owen would be competing to win his first World Title, the Australian copped a 10-foot set on the head, leaving him shaken and woozy. 

Owen exited the water, returned to the Rip Curl house, and after showing signs of a concussion, was brought to the local hospital. He did not compete in the Pipe Masters, nor any contest in the following year, and now wears a helmet in waves of magnitude. 

Owen has had to cross many hurdles in his recovery process, but none as great nor persisting as the psychological terror of surfing heavy waves. In the video above, Owen talks about dealing with that fear and the conflicting desire to win at Pipeline. Owen, of course, lost in Round 3 of this year’s Pipe Masters, but he qualified for the Olympics in the process, which was another goal of his in 2019. 

And he’ll get another crack at Pipe next year.