COOLANGATTA, Queensland, Australia (Thursday, March 13, 2025) - Former World No. 2 Julian Wilson (AUS) has set his sights on returning to the elite-level Championship Tour (CT) with hopes to re-qualify as soon as 2026. Wilson will get his chance at Qualification thanks to wildcard spots at Challenger Series events across the 2025 season.
Wilson grew up in the professional surfing spotlight, with the prodigious talent bursting onto the scene in the second of the Quiksilver Young Guns movies. After a successful junior career and an impressive free-surfing stint, Wilson eventually joined the CT and won Rookie of the Year in 2011. Over the next decade, Wilson would win five CT events, including the Pipe Masters, he'd claim the 2014 Hawaiian Triple Crown, and finish runner-up to the world title in 2018.
"I'm a competitor at heart, and I've really missed performing at the highest level for the last few years, but I feel like I'm ready to take on the challenge again," Wilson said. "I'm super excited to get these wildcard spots with the aim of getting back to the Championship Tour and competing against the world's best once again. I'd love to get back to some of the locations where I've won before and pull on the rash shirt. I look forward to this challenge as I have such a strong desire to make it back to the world tour."
In 2019, Wilson would qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games and become part of the first group of surfers to represent their country at the Olympics. After navigating that year's CT, Tokyo, and qualification events through multiple stints of pandemic-related hotel quarantine, Wilson decided to step away from competitive surfing and focus on time with his family and starting his own brand.
"My decision to take a break from competitive surfing was definitely quite sudden and one I wasn't super prepared for," Wilson continued. "The constraints of travelling internationally during the pandemic, especially as we welcomed my second child, put a lot of pressure on me and my family. It was all too much for me mentally, and I made the decision to step away for a break."
Having never officially hung up the jersey and with his family life and brand on track, Wilson has decided he is ready to step back into the competitive arena and look to qualify for the CT through the Challenger Series in 2025. His journey will all kick off at his new home break of Merewether for the Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST presented by Bonsoy.
"To have the opportunity to return to competition at Newcastle is really special," Wilson continued. "It's my new hometown, and it's an event that I've won before, so to be able to sleep in my own bed and have my family all there is really cool. I'm really looking forward to welcoming all the best surfers from around the world back to Newcastle to compete against them."
"WSL is excited to see Julian returning to competitive surfing in 2025," said WSL Senior Manager of Tours and Competition Travis Logie. "His contribution to the sport over the last two decades is up there with the best, and the level at which he is still surfing made it an easy decision when he approached us to apply for a wildcard. It was a shame to see him walk away when he did, so to have a generational talent like him back will only benefit the level of surfing on the 2025 Challenger Series. We can't wait to see what he brings this season."
Wilson's first CS event will be the 2025 Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST presented by Bonsoy, which will run from June 2 - 8 at Merewether Beach.