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Globe number five Owen Wright has been forced to withdraw from the Pipeline Masters, right after a head injury sustained in a wipeout put the Australian surfing star in hospital.
Wright was scheduled to compete in heat two of the very first round, on Friday morning (AEDT) at Hawaii’s famed Banzai Pipeline but is suffering from serious concussion and mild bleeding to the brain that has limited his mobility.
Nevertheless, the 25-year-old from Lennox Head in northern New South Wales, is expected to make a complete recovery..
The forecast is for the booming situations that have marked this week on the North Shore to continue for at least yet another day.
Wright had shown superb type in those conditions over the last couple of days, but that changed significantly on Thursday when a succession of waves crashed on his head and he at some point came to shore.
An ambulance was referred to as when Wright returned to the Rip Curl team’s property and clearly was not properly.
“He came in and felt weird and couldn’t really speak or something. It was like his body was fully out of fuel it was quite scary looking,” stated compatriot Matt Wilkinson.
Wright is the most recent surfer to be hurt this week at Pipeline.
Australian world quantity one Mick Fanning was among surfers who came to the aid of young American Evan Geiselman when he practically drowned at Pipeline.
Wright was amongst six contenders for the planet title that will be decided in Hawaii this week with Fanning chasing a chasing his fourth planet title.
That would place him level with compatriot Mark Richards and behind only 11-time globe champion Kelly Slater.
The contenders also include defending globe champion Gabriel Medina from Brazil and Australian Julian Wilson, who won at Pipeline final year.
AAP
Topics: surfing, sport, hawaii, united-states, australia