Liam O’Brien preparing to compete at the Gold Coast Pro World Surf League event at his home break at Burleigh Heads

A broken leg had Liam O’Brien questioning whether he could make it back onto surfing’s world tour. Now he is preparing to compete for a title at his home break in the Gold Coast Pro.

Liam O'Brien will be competing at the Gold Coast Pro this weekend. Picture Glenn Hampson

Liam O’Brien once questioned whether he could make it back onto surfing’s world tour after breaking his leg.

But now he is preparing to compete for a World Surf League Championship Tour event title at his home break of Burleigh in the Gold Coast Pro when it starts on Saturday.

The 26-year-old achieved his dream of qualifying for the top tour for the 2022 season but a broken leg left him shattered.

A born and bred Gold Coaster, he wasn’t sure if he could get through the qualifying stages again but has now been part of the CT since 2023, competing in some of the world’s biggest events including the Pipe Pro, Bells Beach and Tahiti Pro.

“(Breaking my leg) was a tough experience initially but it taught me a lot about resilience and training and what surfing and competing means to me,” O’Brien said.

Liam O'Brien and Stephanie Gilmore chatting ahead of the Gold Coast Pro. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“It would have been easy to just give it away and go and do something else. It was a good experience looking back. During the time it wasn’t great but I’m glad to have gone through it. It has made me a better athlete.

“I always wanted to come back and compete but I never knew if I was going to be able to qualify again.

“The first time I did it was such a battle just to get to that point. For me my whole dream was to get on the tour.

“When I achieved that I needed to reset my goals a bit. Getting injured I was like hopefully I can get back there one day. It was a bit frustrating in that respect but it all worked out in the end.”

O’Brien grew up surfing with the Burleigh Boardriders Club while attending Benowa State High and has already had the sport’s best, including eight-time world champion Gold Coaster Stephanie Gilmore, seeking his advice on how best to attack the right-hand point break.

Liam O'Brien ready for a hometown heat at the Gold Coast Pro. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“It’s unreal. I never expected to surf the CT here at this venue,” O’Brien said.

“I was looking forward to Snapper and it’s not far down the road. To have it at the actual home break is pretty awesome.

“It’s surreal to see the set up here and all the pros in town. You don’t see many pros come through this area.”

O’Brien set himself the goal of making it into the top five on the Championship Tour rankings to have a shot at a world title but he currently sits in 24th and in a battle not to be a victim of the mid-season cut after the Margaret River Pro, set to be held after Gold Coast.

“It’s been going a bit backwards lately but I feel like I have been doing the right things and been training really hard and working hard to get to that goal but for whatever reason it hasn’t been quite clicking lately,” O’Brien said.