Tyler Wright, shown here after an event win in Brazil this year, has clinched her first world title. Photo: WSL
Tyler Wright has sealed the deal on a dominant year, clinching her first world title in just nine events out of ten on the women’s world tour.
Wright’s win came at the close of the second semifinal in France this morning, when Courtney Conlogue, who’s been a strong title contender all year, lost to Carissa Moore. In the previous heat, Wright took out Tatiana Weston-Webb in shoulder-high conditions, cementing her thirty-third heat win of the year and setting the stage for the title.
“It feels pretty good,” said an emotional Wright in an interview with Pete Mel following Conlogue’s loss. “I’m surprised I’m not crying, but it’ll come. There’s a lot of reasons I set out to win the title this year and a lot of reasons I didn’t mention to the public.”
Wright added her name to the short list of female world title holders following event wins on the Gold Coast, Margaret River, Lower Trestles, and Brazil, and strong finishes nearly everywhere else.
Courtney Conlogue had to win the Roxy Pro France in order to keep her title hopes alive.
Given Wright’s commanding performance since the year kicked off, Wright’s win is no surprise. But it’s all the more impressive given that her brother Owen has battled a head injury sustained at Pipeline last winter. In her post heat interview, she mentioned that she also lost an uncle recently.
“Tyler’s devoted so much of her year to looking after her big brother,” said surf writer Sean Doherty in an interview. “I don’t know whether it’s cause or effect, but there has been an energy about her all year that had been lacking previously.”
2016 would’ve been a banner year for Wright even without the title. She turned heads last summer with footage of her threading gaping tubes from a cyclone swell at home in Australia.
Here’s one of Tyler’s insane barrels from last summer near her hometown:
Seven-time world champ Layne Beachley said that Wright’s determination finally matched her talent. “For the first five years of her career she showed an extraordinary amount of talent but was quite inconsistent with her performances. It really required a more tenacious mindset for her to declare that she was really going to go after it and that’s what she said.”
“So much happened this year with Owen and my mum, and I love them so much,” Wright said before letting out a scream and hugging friends.
