Tyler Wright Re-Ups With Rip Curl

It was announced today that two-time World Champion Tyler Wright has inked a new contract with longtime sponsor Rip Curl. The signing went down at the brand's headquarters in Torquay, Australia and closed the loop on a two year journey that took the 25-year-old Australian through illness, uncertainty and a blistering competitive comeback last December in Maui.

Wright displaying poise and determination at Honolua Bay. After nearly two years away from competition, she would advance all the way to the Final at the 2019 lululemon Maui Pro. - WSL / Cait Miers

"I've been with Rip Curl for close to two decades," Wright remarked after the signing. "Being in a 17-year relationship means that we really get to expand as I develop and grow as a human. We have such a depth to our relationship that it really has evolved over the years, and it continues to."

And grow as a human, she has. After clinching her second World Title in 2017, Wright was struck down with an illness she contracted in South Africa during the 2018 Corona J-Bay Open. This led to an extended break from competition, sitting out 14 consecutive Championship Tour events between 2018 and 2019.

Wright, ever the inspirational figure, holding court with her contemporaries. - Rip Curl

But all that recovery time paid off when she returned to competition at the 2019 lululemon Maui Pro. Looking calm, cool and collected, she advanced heat after heat, dashing Lakey Peterson's hope for a first World Title in the process. Wright was ultimately taken down by Stephanie Gilmore in the Final, but the message had already been sent -- she was back in the Jersey and ready for action.

Tyler Wright Knocks Lakey Peterson out of Title Race in Maui

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Upon returning to competition, Tyler Wright ends Lakey Peterson's dreams of clinching her first World Title at the Lululemon Maui Pro.

"My experience competing in Maui was completely different to anything I've ever experienced in competition," Wright recently said. "Everything seemed a lot less daunting and I felt a lot more capable and competent in the situation I was in."

CT veterans Conner Coffin, Brissa Hennesey and three-time World Champ and Santa Barbara savant Tom Curren are just a few of the other surfers to re-up contracts with the legendary Australian surf brand that dates back to 1969.

With four-time World Champ Carissa Moore bowing out of the 2020 season, Tyler returns with one less seasoned competitor in her way. And with Rip Curl by her side, a sponsor she's had since childhood, the conditions are lining up for Tyler Wright's return.