“Owen and Rip Curl go back a long way, to when he was a kid,” says Neil Ridgway, Rip Curl’s Chief Marketing Officer. “He’s a deep thinker and an even deeper tube rider, and we always knew he would be great. His connection with Rip Curl has always been one that made us think about being better sponsors, work harder on our side.”
In 2015 Owen suffered a traumatic brain injury while surfing at Pipeline in Hawaii, one of the heaviest waves in the world. The road to recovery was long and hard, but he not only overcame adversity but did so in style when he returning to competition with a first-place win at the 2017 Quiksilver Pro.
“When Owen banged up his brain at Pipe he rang me early one morning,” continues Neil. “It was about six months after his accident and I was out checking the surf in Hossegor. He simply said ‘Ridge, it’s me, it’s Owen. I know who I am. I’m Owen…’ That was the start of a long road back which included two perfect scores of 20.0 at big Cloudbreak in Tahiti and an Olympic bronze medal. It’s great that he has re-signed with Rip Curl and secured his future with us. Pull in Owey.”
Stay tuned to Owen as he takes on the WSL Championship Tour in 2022 and beyond.
