Photo: WSL / KELLY CESTARI
Tyler Wright was at the top of the Women’s CT food chain when we last saw her competing on the Tour. Coming off back-to-back world titles and still in the thick of the race after the Uluwatu CT — the women’s fifth stop — she contracted Influenza A in Africa. At that point, she pulled out of the Corona Open J-Bay and eventually withdrew from the rest of the season.
This week, Wright and the WSL announced that she’s still suffering from Post-Viral Syndrome and will now withdraw from the first half of the 2019 season, making it at least a full year out of competition altogether.
“My doctors diagnosed Post-Viral Syndrome which has really sent me on a rollercoaster,” she said. “Essentially, you’re symptomatic almost always with light and sound sensitivity, headaches and brain fog. Stressful situations and little tasks become extremely difficult without your body working normally too.”
According to Wright, she sees her full recovery happening in four stages. The fact that she describes “Stage 1” as living “a normal day/week without being symptomatic” is pretty revealing that she’s still far from competition ready. And when asked if she’s surfed at all since going out of commission last July, Wright said she’s surfed just a couple times on foam boards. “It feels amazing for about 20 minutes, but I get overexcited and it costs me quite a bit.”
The earliest she can return to competition now will be J-Bay, which makes a third world title an uphill battle and also makes Olympic qualification for the 2020 games a struggle. Australia’s two highest ranked surfers on this year’s tour will earn Olympic bids. It’s not an impossible task, but missing a minimum of another five contests is a gut punch for one of the tour’s best surfers.
