Olympic Medalist Surfer, Who Suffered ‘Traumatic Brain Injury’ Once, Announces Saddening News

Surfing is a breathtaking sport. Sometimes it might exhibit one of the most extraordinary scenes of the world, whereas other times it can get immensely ugly as well. And the surfers are the athletes who get to see both exceptional and horrendous faces of the sea. After surfing for over a decade, Olympic bronze medalist Owen Wright has announced his retirement from competitive big wave surfing, due to his history of concussions.

Wright is one of the popular surfers who saw some bizarre times during his career but came back stronger. Now he has decided to not take those risks again. Wright took to his Instagram to announce the saddening news to his fans. He revealed his emotions and talked about his experiences in the video he posted.

A journey of nearly two decades ends next month

The Australian surfer is not competing in the World Surf League tour this year, as he failed to qualify in the elite field. Moreover, he didn’t even try to rejoin the tour and elected to not compete in the challenger series as well. Now, he has announced his retirement from competitive surfing and will be seen for the last time competing in the Bells Beach Classic next month, for which he auto-qualified as he stood fifth last year.

He revealed that as always he will try his best to win the challenge. Wright stated, “Given my recent history with head injuries and concussions, competing at some of the heaviest waves on the planet is no longer in the best interest of my long-term health. I excelled in these conditions over my career, but the risks associated with this type of surfing are too significant for someone in my position, given my medical history.” 

After suffering from multiple concussions, Wright feels it is the right time to conclude his competing surfing career, as is the best option for his health as well. He added, “I will not retire from surfing altogether – just from surfing heavy waves. I hope to keep surfing for the rest of my life; I love surfing and thank the sport for everything I have.” 

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Owen Wright qualified for his first Championship Tour in 2009. Moreover, he finished his debut season in 2010 in seventh position and earned the Rookie of the Year. Further, he registered his first CT win in 2012 at the Quiksilver Pro New York. Following all that, 2015 was the most happening year for the 33-year-old Australian surfer. In 2015, he became the first competing surfer to score two perfect heats. It was just before the 2015 pipeline finals when he suffered a terrifying brain injury during warmups.

From horrifying brain injury to Olympic bronze medal

The injury brought Wright completely back to zero. From there, he had to learn back everything from walking to surfing once again. In his Instagram post’s caption, he confessed, “After my traumatic brain injury in 2015, my desire to prove to myself and the world that I could still be great and overcome this life-threatening incident inspired my recovery. Now eight years later, after challenges and accomplishments, I can look back happily, knowing I achieved that goal.”

Just like any fabulous athlete, Owen Wright had ups and downs in his career, but he pulled himself back from the worst situation to become better. Even after the life-threatening accident, he came back, won a bronze medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and now is moving towards his retirement. With his post, he also thanked his fans, friends and family for their massive support throughout his career. It will be thrilling to watch him in his final competition that he will compete in, the next month.

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