Tyler Wright isn’t afraid to confront issues she’s passionate about, including the Black Lives Matter movement and issues of sexuality.

In an era where the world’s best female athletes are more visible than ever, Wright has become a passionate voice for change — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

She opens up about overcoming illness to return to the sport she loves and why she’s happy to be outspoken.

Tyler Wright refuses to be silent.

Be it racism, sexuality, mental health, equal pay or even joy, the two-time World Surfing champion has finally found her voice.

From taking the knee in solidarity with Black Lives Matter — Wright knelt for 439 seconds, one second for every Indigenous Australian who has lost their life in police custody since 1991 — to becoming the first pro surfer to wear a Pride flag on her jersey, the 26-year-old is impatient to start conversations.

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DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

Some are complicated — and Wright makes no apologies for this.

Sporting role models bold enough to tackle uncomfortable topics might just be the ones to wake us up and move us forward.

Australian sport has never lacked female role models — from Betty Cuthbert through to Dawn Fraser and Cathy Freeman, through to modern-day athletes Ash Barty and Ellyse Perry.

But never has there been such visibility on the female athlete.

Australia’s T20 World Cup win Melbourne was a litmus test of the interest women’s sport is creating.

It’s something Wright feels down to her core.

“As I’ve got older, I’ve realised the privilege of having a platform. I deeply believe in the pursuit of racial justice and equality — and I have the choice to say something and to do something.

“I hope this makes for a better world for everyone.”

THE JOURNEY TO EQUAL PAY

“Equal pay for equal shreds” — surfing’s men and women being paid the same — was only brought into the World Surf League for the 2019 season.

It was a long journey and only came after the San Francisco Chronicle’s report that California’s State Lands Commission had made equal pay a requirement for the WSL to receive a permit to hold its annual big-wave competition at Mavericks, a famous break off Half Moon Bay in the state’s north.

Yet it was still the first American-based global sports league to offer gender pay equality.

“I know it’s only because of the work of everyone before me that a platform exists … and I am fortunate to be at a place in my life where I feel like I can be exactly who I am,” Wright said. “And I am no longer scared of that.

THE ILLNESS WHICH CHANGED WRIGHT

Wright’s journey, by her own admission, has been as awkward as it has been arduous — from her beginnings on the Illawarra coast in a surfing family to catching a virus in 2018 that ruled her out of competition until the start of this year.

“After a decade and two world titles, I’ve been evaluating what I do with my life and surfing career,” she said.

“When I fell ill and I was away from the tour basically sitting by myself for almost two years, I was stripped of everything overnight. I had been a 16-year-old athlete in an adult world.

“It was a really hard time but it forced me to think about the person I was presenting to the world. I felt I hadn’t shown my authentic self.

“Coming out of that space, I had so many questions. How do I catch up? How do I adjust (from) how I once lived to who I am today?

“There’s a lot of vulnerability in that process.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still want to surf and I still want to win.

“But now I want to use this platform to empower others and that is a responsibility I feel greatly.”

Wright made history by becoming the first woman to take out a major title event at Pipeline at Oahu in Hawaii late December.

The Maui Pro was Wright’s first event in two years after she had contracted influenza A in Africa. This bed-confining bug was followed by a two-year recovery and triggered severe PTSD and countless emotional breakdowns.

“I’m telling my story because there is so much power in vulnerability and being able to share it,” she said.

“I had not been in the greatest head space for two years … I’m someone that suffers great anxiety.

“I was always a sensitive kid — and I discovered I needed to learn to be kind to myself.

“I was 14, when I won my first tour event … as a young athlete I put on this poker face to protect who I really was and to keep myself safe.

“I was treated like an athlete, not a person. This was a dangerous path to walk because my identity was wrapped up in being an athlete.

“And suddenly that was gone. I didn’t sleep for almost two years and constantly felt overwhelmed.

“Surfing is what I love, it is my outlet … it’s a cool sport but the other side of it is there’s a deep sensitivity and creativity in our sport.

“And it can be overwhelming, but as I’ve got older I’ve worked really hard on not fearing emotion.”

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LEARNING TO TRUST YOURSELF

In essence, Wright has learned to trust herself, unleashing her deepest, wildest instincts and, in doing so, she found joy.

In December, at the Maui Pro in Hawaii — before a fatal shark attack that forced the event to be switched from Honolua Bay to Pipeline — Wright scored a perfect 10 while competing against fellow Aussie Stephanie Gilmore in a quarter-final.

During that contest, for the first time in her career, Wright celebrated mid-wave.

After exiting a barrel, Wright struck the pose on the Soul Surfer — the longboarder — with hands behind her arching back, big smile and playfully sticking her tongue out towards the judges.

This was Wright finally loving her work in the boardroom.

“I’ve never done that before … well, I’ve definitely never celebrated twice before and I think that’s the evolution of me as a person and as a surfer,” Wright said.

“I’ve learned it’s okay to celebrate success, for all female athletes to celebrate success.

“I was humbled to surf at Pipeline and I’m forever grateful to have been able to paddle out as my authentic self.

“I’m always humbled by the position I am in and continue to learn, unlearn and educate myself on what truly matters in life.

“I hope that all line-ups have space for women.”