60 World Tour events. Six full years on tour. A lifetime of training, focus and preparation, all the while overcoming personal trials and tribulations in the public eye. This is just a fraction of what it’s taken to reach this moment.
Tyler Wright, the new World Champ. Photo WSL/Poullenot
Today, 22-year-old Tyler Wright has officially clinched her maiden WSL World Title. And it couldn’t be sweeter, or more well deserved.
This moment has been building since the Roxy Pro France back in 2015 – when Tyler won the competition, leant into the microphone and, for the first time ever, announced to the world that she was finally ready to truly fight for a World Title. Ever since that moment it’s been game on.
Despite family difficulties after her brother Owen’s surfing accident in Hawaii, Tyler buckled down, secured SuperCoach Glenn “Micro” Hall as her right-hand man, and came into the year steaming. She won the opening event, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, and then went on to win the next two out of three events, the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro and the Oi Rio Women’s Pro.
With a tidy three event wins under her belt the World Title quickly became a two-horse race, with USA’s Courtney Conlogue solely nipping at her heels. If the year continued at pace, the Title decision could have easily been taken all the way to the Maui Pro in Hawaii – but when Tyler sets her mind to something, she’s going to make it happen.
On top of the world! Photo Rip Curl
This past month, when the World Tour descended on Lower Trestles in Southern California, she decided it was time to make it or break it, and she won the entire event. With this win, the World Title was almost in her hands.
Here in Europe the women competed in both Portugal and France, and in both locations it was up to competitor Courtney Conlogue to hand the World Title to Tyler – all she had to do was lose.
The points were stacked in Ms Wright’s favour, and with the fall of Courtney in today’s second semifinal, the tipping point was reached. Courtney Conlogue and Tyler Wright have been head to head all year, in the end Tyler dominated and became the new world champ. On the chilly beaches of France, Tyler beat Tatiana Weston-Webb in a close matched semi final in 3-4ft clean surf to make it through to the final. Tyler’s rival Courtney Conlogue needed to win the event to take the title race to Hawaii in December but pitched up against Carissa Moore in semi No. 2 she wasn’t able to match the Hawaiian’s powerful surfing and the rest is history.
Tyler stoked to be on the podium. Photo WSL/Poullenot
Afterwards an emotional Tyler said that she had been working on her backhands as that had been a weakness in previous years and that really helped to clinch the world title in France. Carissa Moore went on to win the Roxy Pro, full contest report here.
For more on Tyler go to the Rip Curl website
The WSL Road to Victory
