You know what we love even more than a dominant path to victory? A grind to victory. A hard fought fight. A rocky road where you get knocked down, get back up, do battle again, fall, rise, rinse and repeat until all of your opponents are tired and lost, and you’re standing atop the podium a champion. Such was the case this past week when Monster’s Tyler Wright took to the Brazilian waters in the Oi Rio Pro.
She lost her first heat. Won her second. Lost her third. Sigh. Was Rio to be a throwaway result for Wright? Then she came off the ropes and started swinging — hard. She KO’d Laura Enever in round 4, Sage Erickson in the quarters and Sally Fitzgibbons in the semis. Then, she peaked in the final against Johanne Defay, putting the Frenchwoman on her heels from the first horn and not letting up till the damage was done. A 17.17 heat total. A repeat victory in Rio. A return to the top of the ratings board, where she sits tied with Stephanie Gilmore. Tyler will wear the yellow jersey in Fiji, and continue her year-long grind for the world title.
Oh, yes, this is getting good. Congrats, Tyler!
WSL Rankings
1 - Tyler Wright - 29,700 Points
1 - Stephanie Gilmore - 29,700 Points
3 - Sally Fitzgibbons - 28,200 Points
4 - Johanne Defay - 23,000 Points
5 - Courtney Conlogue - 21,800 Points
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