Surfest’s men’s pro has lost No.2 seed Owen Wright on the eve of the 6000-point World Surf League qualifying series contest.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Wright, who was a notable absentee from the Culburra Beach’s Australian Boardriders Battle national final win in Newcastle on the weekend, informed Surfest and WSL officials late on Sunday that he had to withdraw.
The world No.6 said he had six stitches put into his head that day and he could not go in the water for a week.
Wright, the older brother of two-time women’s world champion, Tyler Wright, made an emotional return to competitive surfing at Surfest last year from a brain injury suffered in a wipeout in Hawaii in December 2015.
Surfest’s men’s Burton Automotive Pro and women’s Grandstand Sports Clinic Women's Pro are set to start on Monday at Merewether.
Tyler Wright, who returns to Surfest for the first time seven years, said she had been working hard over the off-season with coach Glen “Micro’ Hall.
"I didn't really take too much of an off-season this year - it's kind of like my training with Micro never really ends,” Wright said. “We've been having heaps of fun during the summer and getting ready for the season at the same time. With the swell it should be a bit of a challenge, and I'm looking forward to getting things going here in Newcastle."
American Cole Houshmand and Australian Mia McCarthy won the international wildcard trials on Sunday at Dixon Park.
