Top 5 female surfers of 2011 ASP Women’s World Tour – Part 4
4. Tyler Wright
The 17-year-old Australian is turning out to be an extremely fierce competitor at such a young age. She was just 14 when she collected her Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour event victory, winning the Beachley Classic in 2008.
Following up on her first victory, she overcame the elite women surfers once again in 2010 at O’Neill Women’s World Cup.
Clinching two outstanding victories even before joining the ranks of the elite Top 17 was a clear indication of what Wright promised in the future. The 17-year-old reminded everyone of the immense potential time to time through her exquisite performances.
The year 2011 was Wright’s rookie season on the ASP Women’s World Tour event. Expectations were high from the young Australian prodigy, which she surely lived up to. Despite being pitted against the best female surfers from all around the world, Wright managed
to make a solid impact during the season, eventually finishing in the Top 5.
The first stop on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Tour saw Wright get off to a blazing start in Australia. She may have been one of the youngest competitors in the field, but she surely proved wiser beyond her years as she drilled her way through the initial
rounds, as well as the quarter-finals and semi-finals to eventually make it into the Finals. However, the rampaging Australian was bested by Hawaii’s in-form Carissa Moore.
Confident after such a good start to the tour, Wright once again got off to an excellent start at Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in Australia, the second elite Tour event of the seas. She made it through the initial rounds unscratched, but was unable to overcome
her compatriot and four-time ASP World Champion, Stephanie Gilmore, in the quarter-finals.
The Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival in New Zealand featured Wright in an excellent form. She seemed unstoppable as she made her way through an extremely talented line-up of surfers in the first four rounds, as well as the quarter-finals. Pitted
against Moore in the semi-final, the young Australian was unable to take her rival down and ended up surrendering victory.
The Australian prodigy exhibited an excellent form at the next stop of the elite Tour, Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, in Australia. As fearless as ever, Wright took on the world’s best female surfers and successfully collected victories in the initial
rounds. Once she stepped into the quarter-final, she came face to face with Gilmore. Once again, the somewhat legendary Gilmore took down the young and relatively inexperienced Wright.
Competing at the next ASP Women’s World Tour event, Billabong Rio Pro in Brazil, Wright once again got through the first four rounds of the competition quite comfortable. Pitted against the local sensational Silvana Lima, the Australian was unable to hold
her own and ended up getting eliminated from the competition.
The first five events saw Wright consistently make her way into the crucial rounds of the competition and give it all way. However, the sixth stop of the elite Tour, Roxy Pro, in France turned out to be a pretty disappointing trip for the Australian. She
only made it to Round 4 before getting eliminated from the competition by Moore.
The last stop of the season, US Open of Surfing, in America proved to be yet another disappointment for Wright. Once again, she had just made it through to Round 4 because she succumbed to her compatriot Laura Enever in Round 4.
During the 2011 season of ASP Women’s World Tour, Wright had managed to pass through the initial rounds without any trouble at five of the seven events. A fierce and fearless competitor, the Australian only needed to work on her performances in pressure
situations such as the quarter and semi-finals. Had she been technically sound during the crucial stages of the competition, she may have finished higher than No.4 on ASP Women’s World Tour Rankings.
The show that the young surfer put up this season justified the hype that surrounded her. Not only did she pretty much live up to the expectations, she made a memorable impact in just her rookie year among the elite surfers. She would only getter better
with age and prove to one of the strongest contenders for the Championship title.
To be continued in Part 5.
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