WRIGHT’S SHOCKER
CHAMP’S TITLE BLOW
AUSTRALIAN Mikey Wright’s bid to qualify for the world tour fulltime in 2019 has received another boost with the surfer offered a prized wildcard position to the only championship tour event to be contested in a wave pool.
The inaugural Surf Ranch Pro in Lemoore, California, is on from Thursday to Sunday and will be the eighth event on the men’s world tour this year.
Wright and Japan’s Hiroto Ohara have been added to the start list as wildcards while Miguel Pupo replaces injured Brazilian Caio Ibelli and Wiggolly Dantas is in for the injured world champion John John Florence.
Bethany Hamilton was last month named as the women’s wildcard for her first event since the birth of her second son.
Wright has a leg up on his rivals, having surfed the open barrel in the wave pool as part of a Surfing Australia high-performance camp earlier this year.
“It’s definitely taking me some time to figure this wave out but I’m getting there and it’s really fun,” Wright said. “I’m pretty stoked to get the wildcard. I’ve been lucky enough to get a few this year and I’m really looking forward to the event.
“I’m not on tour yet so this year has been a real learning experience for me and I’m just trying to take it all in and hopefully next year I’ll make it.”
Wright has surfed seven world tour events this year and is now ranked 11th on the world rankings.
Only Julian Wilson, Wade Carmichael and brother Owen are ahead of him in third, fifth and sixth respectively.
SURF SCENE: Tomorrow’s Gold Coast Bulletin