Tyler Wright: Five things you did not know about the Australian surf star
As a teenage prodigy and an advocate for mental health and diversity, Wright has never shied away from making bold statements. Find out what was special about the jersey she wore to win her first world title and discover more about the Australian star.
Surfing
For many surfers, becoming the youngest in history to win a Championship Tour event would be a lifelong claim to fame. For Tyler Wright, it was only the beginning.
The Australian shot into the international spotlight aged 14 when she took a Championship Tour stage in Manly as a wildcard. She made the World Tour at 15 and won her first world title at 22, repeating the feat the following season.
But Wright's journey has been far from an easy ride. From physical struggles to psychological dilemmas, Wright did not hide the challenges she faced as she fought her way back to the top of the rankings.
Olympics.com took a closer look at the lesser known facts about Wright's career, family life, advocacy efforts, and hints of what she might do after retiring from professional surfing.
1 - The Wrights are a surfing family
The brother-sister link between Tyler and Owen Wright, bronze medallist in men's surfing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, is well known.
But Owen is not the only sibling who can challenge Tyler on a surfboard.
The 29-year-old has three brothers and a younger sister, all of them surfers. And she credits her brothers with giving her the confidence to succeed in what she has described as the male-dominated world of surfing.
“It was very much equal grounds,” Wright said in an interview with The Guardian. “I’ve always felt welcome. I don’t know if it’s been like that for everybody but I have three brothers and I’ve just grown up with them always going, ‘If we can do it, you can do it and there’s no reason why you can’t’. That’s the foundation I’ve grown up on.”
2 - Wright shares a special bond with her older brother Owen
Growing up surrounded by supportive siblings, Wright has shown support to them in return. In 2016, while Owen was sidelined with a serious concussion, she wore his jersey during a heat of Roxy Pro France and went on to claim her first world title.
"That was a really special moment," Owen said in an Olympic Channel Podcast. "I'm sitting there crying and whatnot because it was really cool to see that. It was just a really nice gesture and at that time we didn't know if I was going to be surfing. It lifted my spirits, that's for sure.''
It was Owen's turn to console Tyler when she missed out on qualification for Tokyo 2020 due to a lower ranking than fellow Australians Stephanie Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons.
Now having secured a provisional Paris 2024 quota place for her country through the World Surf League in August, Wright is once again dreaming of adding another Olympic medal to the family's collection.
3 - She is married and proudly LGBTQ+
Another important relationship in Wright's life is that with her wife, Lilli Baker.
Wright came out as bisexual in 2020 during an interview with Australia's 60 Minutes and announced her engagement in 2022.
"Lilli is just a vibe. She was working in a cafe in Newcastle [in 2021] when I was in town for a contest. I felt so respected and appreciated [by her]. Eventually, I asked her out, she said yes and here we are," Wright said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in 2022.
"There’s an ease and openness. There’s genuineness, love, respect and appreciation. Being with someone who encourages you to be more you is always a good time."
The pair married in November 2022 with eight-time world champion Gilmore as a guest of honour, and Baker now travels as part of Wright's team on the Championship Tour.
“I’m the only queer person on tour, so my wife is the only other queer person I know most of the time,” Wright said. “I love everyone around me but she makes such a difference in a way only she really can.”
4 - Wright is open about physical and mental well-being
Whether it is LGBTQ+ rights or other topics, Wright speaks frankly about issues others shy away from.
In June, she published a candid Instagram post about the long-time struggles she has faced due to heavy periods. The post received widespread support with many women thanking Wright for her honesty.
"It’s hard when you put so much work into something, you feel great and then you have a period so horrible it hospitalises you three days out from an event. Competing after those 3 days of being mostly bedridden and unable to eat was the harsh reality of navigating my period while meeting requirements in my professional career," she wrote on Instagram.
"Managing my period has been a journey. I’ve come along way from my teen years, not even knowing it wasn’t normal to suffer monthly excruciating pain that would lead to passing out, vomiting and hours on the toilet. These days my period management looks like a customised training program based around the four menstrual stages, listening and planning carefully for what my body needs."
Wright is also open about needing professional help, saying she feels most comfortable when travelling to competitions with Surfing Australia's sports psychologist Jason Patchell. The pair have worked together for five years, but 2023 is the first season when Patchell has accompanied Wright on Championship Tour events.
5 - Wright is considering a post-sports career in science
While an Olympic medal is the top of Wright's wishlist in the coming year, she is also looking ahead to life after retirement from competitive sport.
Having made her World Surf League debut as a teenager, Wright did not get the chance to complete high school and has resumed her studies to compensate for that.
Her long-term goal, after getting that high school diploma, is to study neuroscience as a way to help prevent brain trauma and aid athlete recovery.