Pro surfer Sophie McCulloch’s incredible comeback after back break
Queensland pro surfer Sophie McCulloch once feared she might never walk again after breaking her back in a terrifying wipe-out.
QLD News
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After breaking her back in a terrifying wipe-out at one of Australia’s gnarliest breaks last year, Queensland pro surfer Sophie McCulloch feared she might never walk again - let alone compete.
But this weekend, the pint-sized powerhouse pulled on her contest rashie to make her comeback at the World Surf League Gold Coast Open at Burleigh Heads.
After winning her first round heat on Friday with the highest-scoring waves of the day, McCulloch backed up on Saturday to advance to the quarter-finals following another impressive performance in winning a heat which saw fellow Aussies Coco Cairns and Kobie Enright eliminated. She will face another Aussie, Milla Brown, in the quarters on Sunday.
McCulloch, 26, badly fractured her L12 vertebrae when she was slammed into the reef at WA big wave spot The Box at Margaret River last April.
The biomedical graduate had been eliminated from the WSL Margaret River Pro and was free-surfing The Box on finals day of the tournament when the accident happened.
Having just started to ease herself into heavier surf, McCulloch caught a smaller wave before stroking into a bigger “slab” of water.
“I ended up being a bit late (taking off) and got caught in the lip (of the wave),” she recalled this week.
“I pin-dropped to try to get out of the way but got sucked back around (inside the breaking wave) a second time and fell in a sort of seated position straight onto what felt like dry rock.
“I heard a crunch and thought I’d done some damage.”
McCulloch said what happened next was “a blur”.
“I don’t remember being in the kind of pain where I was, like, crying but I went into shock,” she said.
“In that moment, I thought I’d broken my back, so I was pretty panicked. You know … this could be serious.”
Fellow surfers helped her to the beach by jet ski and she was rushed by ambulance to Busselton Hospital where tests confirmed the break. She was then flown to Royal Perth Hospital where an MRI thankfully confirmed no spinal damage.
McCulloch was then fitted with a back brace for the start of a long journey to recovery, including months of rehab before she was able to tentatively re-enter the ocean.
“There were some painful moments, missing out on events but more so just missing out on good surf,” she said.
“There were a couple of swells here on the Gold Coast where the waves were pumping and I just had so much FOMO (fear of missing out). So yeah, it was tough.
“But at that point in time, I was just grateful to be walking again, knowing how serious those injuries can be.
“I always knew I would surf again, but was a little doubtful of whether I’d get back to the level I was. You just never know how your body is going to respond, but within about six months, I knew I was good to go.”
McCulloch recently returned from Hawaii where she tested her back in the planet’s most powerful waves.
The Gold Coast Open will be her first event as she seeks to requalify for the world championship tour from which she was eliminated last year.
“I’ve competed in some boardriders (club) events, but this is my first individual WSL event back and I’m excited,” she said.
“I reckon I’m gonna go good. I’m just happy to be back in the jersey, whether I lose first round or make it to the finals. The waves are going to be fun, so it’s really exciting.”
McCulloch said she was yet to go back to The Box.
“I want to, but there’s a few demons to conquer there,” she said.
Originally published as Pro surfer Sophie McCulloch’s incredible comeback after back break
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