During the brief intermission between the Billabong Rio Pro and the upcoming Fiji Pro, Owen Wright (AUS) sat down with Stab magazine to talk disappointment, comeback strategy and the waves ahead of him. Here's an excerpt from the May 20 interview with Rusty Quinn.
Tell me about your Rio performance?
I didn't surf that well. It's a tricky wave. Brazil didn't really favor anyone. It was anyone's game. High seeds were dropping like flies. I went out there with the idea of doing turns and airs, but guys were getting scored for two turns. So it made for a bit higher risk. You'd get a few dumpy ones and get bounced off, and I didn't make a couple of airs. But I couldn't really succumb to just finishing the wave with a turn. In hindsight, I should have.
Wright was eliminated in Round 2 of the Billabong Rio Pro. Click here for a complete gallery of highlight videos from Rio.
Numerous tour surfers have told us that outside of the jersey, you're The Man at the moment. But, business end finishes have been scarce at each event for you. Where's your head at?
That hasn't played a big part in my mental recovery. Brazil was an average result and the start of the year was average, but even if I get a bad result, I feel like I'm gaining momentum at every event and hopefully I can continue that. I haven't had that effect of, 'Oh I've lost', even though I have lost (laughs).
ASP's The Return of Owen Wright Part I
Who's the standout on tour this year?
Mick. He's so mentally fierce. Along with Kelly and Parko. In terms of surfing I'd say Julian and Jordy. But as you've seen, the results don't show that. Michel has won two events and you can't ignore that. He's been very impressive. But my eyes have been on Julian and Jordy.
How are you gonna play it in Fiji?
Just get pitted. I'm excited to get barreled. But I'd have to say I watched Kelly pretty closely last year and he is the master out there. He goes quicker than everyone else. The tour is hotly contested these days. Everyone knows exactly what they're doing when it comes to each wave on tour. But I think it was the opposite in Brazil. Nobody knew what they were doing and it just showed in the results. There was no telling who was going to win.
For the full interview, check out Stab magazine's Here's Some Things Owen Wright Thinks About Today
Owen Wright Says It Ain't So
WSL
During the brief intermission between the Billabong Rio Pro and the upcoming Fiji Pro, Owen Wright (AUS) sat down with Stab magazine to talk disappointment, comeback strategy and the waves ahead of him. Here's an excerpt from the May 20 interview with Rusty Quinn.
Tell me about your Rio performance?
I didn't surf that well. It's a tricky wave. Brazil didn't really favor anyone. It was anyone's game. High seeds were dropping like flies. I went out there with the idea of doing turns and airs, but guys were getting scored for two turns. So it made for a bit higher risk. You'd get a few dumpy ones and get bounced off, and I didn't make a couple of airs. But I couldn't really succumb to just finishing the wave with a turn. In hindsight, I should have.
Wright was eliminated in Round 2 of the Billabong Rio Pro. Click here for a complete gallery of highlight videos from Rio.
Numerous tour surfers have told us that outside of the jersey, you're The Man at the moment. But, business end finishes have been scarce at each event for you. Where's your head at?
That hasn't played a big part in my mental recovery. Brazil was an average result and the start of the year was average, but even if I get a bad result, I feel like I'm gaining momentum at every event and hopefully I can continue that. I haven't had that effect of, 'Oh I've lost', even though I have lost (laughs).
ASP's The Return of Owen Wright Part I
Who's the standout on tour this year?
Mick. He's so mentally fierce. Along with Kelly and Parko. In terms of surfing I'd say Julian and Jordy. But as you've seen, the results don't show that. Michel has won two events and you can't ignore that. He's been very impressive. But my eyes have been on Julian and Jordy.
How are you gonna play it in Fiji?
Just get pitted. I'm excited to get barreled. But I'd have to say I watched Kelly pretty closely last year and he is the master out there. He goes quicker than everyone else. The tour is hotly contested these days. Everyone knows exactly what they're doing when it comes to each wave on tour. But I think it was the opposite in Brazil. Nobody knew what they were doing and it just showed in the results. There was no telling who was going to win.
For the full interview, check out Stab magazine's Here's Some Things Owen Wright Thinks About Today
Owen Wright
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Owen Wright is eliminated from competition, in the process ending his career. Nevertheless, Owen is chaired up the beach in celebratory
The longtime CT icon Owen Wright kicked off his retirement from pro surfing with an Opening Round win over 2022 World Champ, Filipe Toledo,
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