On March 21, Owen Wright announced that he would retire after the Bells Beach event, citing ongoing brain injury risks.
“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,” Wright wrote on Instagram. “Now eight years later, after challenges and accomplishments, I can look back happily, knowing I achieved that goal. Today, I am sharing the news that I will retire from competing at the highest level of surfing. My last event will be at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, where I look forward to celebrating my career and thanking my fans, friends, and family for all their support over the years.”
Of course, as with most pro surfers, Wright’s retirement from the Tour isn’t a retirement from surfing altogether. It’s simply a retirement from surfing waves of consequence, some of which are a necessity to compete on the CT.
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“I will not retire from surfing altogether – just from surfing heavy waves,” he continued. “I hope to keep surfing for the rest of my life; I love surfing and thank the sport for everything I have.”
After the WSL and Rip Curl offered Wright a wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach contest, he, along with doctors and his family, decided that Bells was the perfect place to hang up the jersey. With his exit from Tour life looming, the World Surf League put together a highlight reel that looks at the hard-charging career of one of the best surfers to ever do it.
