Griffin ended ninth at J-Bay, but was still able to piece rides like this together despite a torn labrum. Photo: WSL
The things we don’t know until we know. That nod to Yogi Berra philosophy pretty much explains what a stellar season Griffin Colapinto was able to piece together, despite being injured. The San Clemente native revealed this week that he had hip surgery to repair a torn labrum, an injury he likely sustained mid season in Western Australia. While he didn’t disclose the injury during the season, Griffin of course was still able to nab a win at the Surf Ranch Pro and qualify for the Final 5 at Trestles in September, where he finished third.
“So, turns out this last half of 2023, I’ve been surfing with a torn labrum in my right hip,” he wrote. “I did it during one of my heats in Western Australia when I hit one of the scary Margaret River end sections and as I landed I compressed the bone up into my labrum tearing it from 11 to 1 o’clock. The pain wasn’t that bad so I thought it was something to do with my muscle, and maybe it was a pinching thing going on but obviously I’m no doctor, haha. I surfed the rest of the season trying to figure this thing out until the season finally finished. I got an MRI and now I’m waking up today with a fresh labrum surgery from one of the goats @drwarreng . Thank you @drwarreng 🙏. So word on the streets is recovery could be anywhere from 2 to 4 months for athletes. So now I’ll start a new journey to hopefully come back better than ever and ready to compete at Pipeline with my brothers in 2024!”
Griffin’s become arguably the best American on tour and has threatened the world title chase the last couple years. In my mind, he’s certainly a throwback worth rooting for. “I would really like to finish the regular season at number one because that’s originally how you won the world title,” he told me in May. “Then go to the Final Five and win that too. The original way doesn’t get much hype but I really want to do that for myself. Just being consistent a whole year is so difficult.”
