- WSL / Cait Miers

With the start of the 2022 Championship Tour mere weeks away, the lineup will unfortunately be without one of its highest flyers. Brazil's Yago Dora, who finished the 2021 CT season ranked 9th, has suffered a foot injury and will be out of the water for the start of the season.

"I had a pretty weird landing on a frontside air, and ended up twisting my foot. I had a rupture of my Lisfranc ligament," Dora told the WSL.

"I went straight to surgery the next day after the accident, my doctor expects me to be surfing again in three months," Dora continued.

For surfers with such a strong air game like Dora, the Lisfranc fracture injury is not exceptionally rare. California's Kolohe Andino suffered a similar injury back in 2012, as did 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater at Jeffreys Bay in 2018. The injury occurs when bones in the midfoot are broken or supporting ligaments are torn. With all of the bones and joints in the foot, the severity of the injury can be complex. It can also be misdiagnosed as a sprain depending on the nature of the injury.

Yago Dora Yago Dora was in prime form in 2021 and just won the Saquarema Surf Festival Quiksilver Pro at the end of November. - WSL / Thiago Diz

"I'll be in crutches for a month and a half, but still training without stepping with my left foot, and doing physical therapy as well," Dora explains. "I want to get back to 100-percent soon and get back to the water, it's what I love to do the most, so this is what motivates me to take this rehab very seriously."

"Injuries are part of any high-performance athlete's life, that's why we all work super hard to prevent them, but sometimes it still happens and you have to deal with it the best way possible. Usually you see the athletes come back more motivated than ever from an injury," Dora adds.

"I'll be home and with full focus on rehab, so I can get back in a jersey as soon as possible." 

The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Pipeline gets underway on January 29. Keep it locked here on WorldSurfLeague.com for more news and updates as we countdown the start of the 2022 Championship.

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