This morning world number seventeen and Australian Gold medal hopeful Julian Wilson has announced that he will be taking a break from the WSL indefinitely.
In a post released on his Instagram earlier this morning, he cited family reasons for putting his career on hold
“By no means am I calling it a retirement from professional surfing and the decision I have made is in line with what I value most in my life, and that is my family. The inability to travel internationally with them now and for the foreseeable future is enough for me to take a step back and be there for my wife and children.”
“I’m feeling really good about my decision and really excited for what my future looks like with extra time on my hands and I’ll be bringing some new projects to life(!) while enjoying being with my family,” Wilson said.
During his freshman season on tour, he nabbed a third at Trestles and made the Finals in France, and his World No. 9 finish easily earned him the Rookie of the Year honour. After that, a future World Title seemed inevitable for the confident kid from the Sunshine Coast, but for reasons pundits are still finding hard to pin down, Wilson has languished in the back half of the Top 10 for the bulk of his career. Nevertheless, he has five Championship Tour victories to his name, including a Pipe Masters victory over Gabriel Medina in 2014 (when he also won the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing) and two big wins on the Gold Coast in France in 2018.
We wish Julian and His Family the best of luck on whatever’s next,