“Bleed on the Brain”: Despite Being in the Title Race, 4X World Champion Surfer Recounts His Worst Career Nightmare

Australian professional surfer Owen Wright had a fatal incident back in 2015 that caused some lethal head injuries to him. The incident took place during Hawaii’s pipeline surfing. The athlete was under medical treatment for more than a year. Despite his brutal head injury, Wright made a remarkable comeback using safety helmets while surfing for protection from wipeout injuries. He spent 2015-16 in recovery, and then he was granted a wildcard entry to the 2017 World Surf League men’s Championship.

In a recent YouTube video, Wright had an interview with Olympics Surfing. During the interview, he opened up about the severe concussion and TBI caused by the forceful bump. But eventually, Wright glorified surfing even after suffering such fatal injuries.

Wright’s bleeding on the brain, TBI experience

Owen Wright’s head injuries have left some lasting impact on the athlete. However, very little of this was known until the surfer appeared in an interview and revealed his disabilities caused by the incident.

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Wright said, “In 2015, I was in the title race, been looking in great form, and then just by surprise had a severe concussion and TBI, which is a bleed on the brain.” Wright said that he had to learn to surf again since the injury lead him to difficulty in walking, talking, and surfing.

Besides all these problems, Wright also suffered from memory loss caused by TBI from huge wave impact. Wright needs full-time medical care for his treatment, otherwise, his health can deteriorate again. Hence, in order to look after his health, the surfer decided to pull out from official surfing.

Owen Wright forced into retirement after his medical advice

Owen Wright had the worst wipeout during surfing on the North Shore of Hawaii. Nevertheless, he made a comeback, but that was not for long. On  21 March 2023, Owen Wright announced that he will be retiring from World Surf League after the Bells Beach Event. This was not very surprising for the fans because of his ongoing brain injury risks.

“I hope that in this new chapter of my life. I can help be a voice of brain health and advocate for athletes across all sports who have suffered TBIs and concussions throughout their careers.” Owen Wright fought back against the odds and won a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics and claimed four other tournament titles.

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But keeping in head the medical advice after his head injury, Owen announced his retirement from World Surf League early this year.