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Owen Wright (surfer)

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Owen Wright
Personal information
Born (1990-01-16) 16 January 1990 (age 34)
Culburra Beach, New South Wales,[1] Australia
ResidenceLennox Head, New South Wales
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight86 kg (190 lb; 13.5 st)[1]
Surfing career
Career earnings$780,550
SponsorsRip Curl, Dragon Optics, FCS, Gorilla Grip, JS Industries surfboards, Ocean & Earth
Major achievements
Surfing specifications
StanceGoofy
Medal record
Men's surfing
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Shortboard

Owen Wright (born 16 January 1990) is an Australian professional surfer on the World Surf League (formerly the Association of Surfing Professionals) Men's Championship Tour.[2][3] His sister, Tyler Wright, is also a competitor on the World Surf League Championship Tour.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Wright won Australia's first surfing Olympic bronze medal.[4]

On 16 June 2015 Wright became the first surfer to post two perfect scores in a single event, during Round 5 and the final of the Fiji Pro.[5]

Personal life

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Wright was born on 16 January 1990[6] and grew up at Culburra Beach on the south coast of New South Wales.[7] He has 5 siblings who all surf including his sister Tyler Wright who is a two-time Women's Surfing World Champion.[8] Wright's brother Mikey competes on the Men's Championship Tour as well.[9]

As a junior, along with his sister Tyler and fellow south coast local World Tour competitor Sally Fitzgibbons, he competed in GromSearch, a national series development program that gives under 16 year olds the opportunity to compete against top senior surfers.[10]

Wright is married to Australian singer Kita Alexander. They have a son born in December 2016[11] and a daughter born in January 2021.

Professional career

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Wright won the Australian title in 2007 and qualified for the Champions Tour in 2009.[6] In his 2010 debut season he ranked seventh, and was named Rookie of the Year. In 2011 he won his first Champions Tour event at Long Island, New York, receiving surfing's largest-ever prize of $300,000.[6]

During the 2015 tour, Wright won his second title at the Fiji Pro event scoring two perfect 10-point rides.[12] This was the first time such a score had been achieved at the one event and he was only the fifth surfer to ever achieve a perfect 20. The win took him to third place in the 2015 season's standings.[6][13]

In December, in the lead up to the Pipeline Masters, the final event of the 2015 calendar, he had a wipe out at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.[11][14] Wright suffered a traumatic brain injury and had to relearn how to talk, walk and then surf again.[11] He recorded his recovery steps on social media.[15] Owen is now championing the use of safety helmets while surfing to protect surfers from wipeout injuries.

After spending 2016 recovering, Wright was granted a wildcard entry to the 2017 World Surf League season.

In his comeback, Wright won the Champions Tour calendar's opening event, the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks on Australia's Gold Coast.[14] It was his third WSL title.[16]

In between WSL events, Wright trained with Surfing Australia's national squad preparing for the debut of surfing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games[17] where he won a bronze medal.

In August 2023, Wright released his debut memoir, Against The Water, which tells the story of "his relationship with the ocean, his children, and his brain".[18] The book is published by Simon & Schuster.

Property

Wight owns a luxury accommodation business in Byron Bay, with his wife, Kita Alexander called Paradiso Property.[19]

Career victories

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WST Wins
Year Event Venue Country
2019 Billabong Pro Teahupoo Teahupo'o, Tahiti  Tahiti
2017 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland  Australia
2015 Fiji Pro Namotu, Tavarua  Fiji
2011 Quiksilver Pro New York Long Island, New York  USA

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Owen Wright". jsindustries.com. JS Industries. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Shop Surf Apparel, Wetsuits and Watches | Rip Curl Australia". www.ripcurl.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. ^ "The Resurrection of Owen Wright Part II - ASP". Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Bronze medal a big reward for surfer's battle to make Olympics". ABC News. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  5. ^ "History Made in Fiji: Watch Wright's Perfect 20s". World Surf League. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d "Owen Wright Australia". World Surf League. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  7. ^ Ward, Courtney (12 December 2017). "Culburra Beach's Owen Wright loses in round one of return to Pipeline Masters". South Coast Register. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Tyler Wright Australia". World Surf League. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Mikey Wright Australia". World Surf League. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Culburra Beach's Tyler Wright reflects on importance of GromSearch on her career". South Coast Register. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Lulham, Amanda (27 March 2017). "New, improved Owen Wright loving life, surfing and being a dad". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Owen Wright". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Australia's Owen Wright wins Fiji Pro title with perfect 20". Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  14. ^ a b Pancia, Anthony (19 March 2017). "Owen Wright completes fairytale comeback with World Surf League win at Snapper Rocks". ABC News. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  15. ^ Grant, Dwayne (8 October 2016). "Surfer Owen Wright's emotional road to recovery from brain injury suffered at Hawaii's Pipeline". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  16. ^ Serong, Jock (19 March 2017). "Surfer Owen Wright wins Snapper Rocks Tour opener in fairytale return from brain injury". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  17. ^ "South Coast duo part of Aussie's readiness camp at Surf Ranch". South Coast Register. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  18. ^ McKenzie-Murray, Martin (12 August 2023). "Surfer Owen Wright on his stunning comeback". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  19. ^ Rielly, Derek (5 March 2020). "Surfing heartthrob turned real estate developer Owen Wright reveals plans for $5 million hunk of land in Byron Bay!". BeachGrit. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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