Practically born in the sands of Culburra Beach, New South Wales, to a big surfing family, the younger Wright’s rise in the surf world has been prompt. Known mostly for being one of the planet’s premier free surfers thanks to jaw-dropping edits like “Root'' and “Rage,” the 24-year old has built himself an impressive competitive resume.

A successful run in the Aussie Junior and WQS ranks led to several Wildcard invites to select Championship Tour events during the 2018 season. But that campaign almost ended before it even began. While surfing in the 6-star Volcom Pipe Pro in February of that year, he wiped out and went back-first into the shallow reef. Not realizing the severity of the injury and wanting to prove himself worthy amongst surfing’s best, Mikey pressed on.

He surfed in a total of seven Championship Tour events, with his biggest successes coming in the forms of equal 3rds at the Corona Bali Protected and the Uluwatu CT/ Margaret River Pro. Other impressive Wildcard showings throughout 2018 saw him sitting at 12th in the world rankings by the year’s end, solidifying his position as a legitimate threat among the sport’s top-tier athletes.

After sporadic contest appearances during 2019, while trying to rid himself of back woes and with the entire 2020 competitive season canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Mikey has had ample time to rest and recover. With a full-time spot on 2021’s Championship Tour for the entirety of the Australian leg, look for a healthy and healed Mikey Wright to make a big splash when he mixes it up with the rest of the men’s top 34.