Paris 2024 Olympics: Surfer Tyler Wright making waves in ‘half and half’ wetsuit at Teahupo’o
Over time, Tyler Wright has learned to get comfortable in her own skin. At 30 years old, the Australian surfer has had her fair share of ups and downs, but preparing to compete in her first Games at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, she’s fit, healthy... and trying something different.
The two-time world champion has worked with her wetsuit sponsor to create a suit we’ve never seen before. Traditionally, wetsuits are designed symmetrically, with the suit arms and legs at the same length; Wright has gone for something unique.
“I call it the ‘half and half’ suit, where it’s like one half long and one half short. So, this is a side that I’ll drag a lot of. It also helps with protection because this is the side you fall on,” she told Olympics.com.
There has been no big performance testing done on the suit, Wright just feels it might alleviate the annoyance of taking on water in her wetsuit when she would like to avoid it, tucked into the monstrous barrels of the Teahupo’o wave.
“So when I was thinking about this and the specificity of this wave and the frustrations that I feel when I usually compete and how much drag I get, whether I wear a spring suit or half a spring suit on this arm, the water actually drags quite a lot,” she said.
“It’s more of an experimental thing, but honestly my brain gets so frustrated with catching more water than I need to. And it also changes your pace of how you slow down and speed up as well if you’ve got half the side of your wetsuit filled up with water, you’re actually carrying a lot more weight.”
Tyler Wright making the most of big opportunity
The Olympics is the ultimate test of an athlete’s ability to perform on the biggest stage, and the Australian sister of Tokyo 2020 surfing bronze medallist Owen Wright has high ambitions for herself as well.
“I just thought about it for a hot second and I was like, ‘Well, if there’s ever an opportunity to do it, it’s one like this’,” said Wright.
When Olympics.com spoke to Wright in training, she had only worn it twice and had positive feedback.
“It’s really good. I quite like it, which is why I’m in it again today. It was more for when it was bigger, obviously, but I actually enjoyed it. And also it’s my warmer suit as well and it has been kind of cold.”