Injury Forces Costa Rican Surfer Brisa Hennessy to Bow Out of Portugal

The World Surf League's 2024 Championship Tour just got going, and a few surfers have already withdrawn because of illness or injury.

The tour kicked off with the Lexus Pipe Pro where two-time world champ Filipe Toledo withdrew due to illness. And so far, the MEO Rip Curl Pro at Portugal's Supertubos has taken two hits.

First, 11-time world champ Kelly Slater withdrew from the tour's third stop last-minute citing ongoing issues from his recent hip surgery. Then yesterday, Costa Rican pro surfer Brisa Hennessy announced her withdrawal due to an injury.

Related: Watch: Cheers to the 'F*cking Girls' on International Women's Day

Hennessy captioned the post above:

"Not how I wanted to start here in Portugal but that’s the way life goes sometimes. Really bummed to have ruptured my ear drum & sadly forcing me to pull out of the event. Time to give my body the rest it needs. Thank you to the medic crew and my team for all the help. ❤️ @wsl"

Hennessy scored a 5.67 surfing against Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons in her first heat. In her second heat, she got hurt, and that was that.

A plethora of other pros offered support in the comments:

Mick Fanning: "Sending healing powers Brisa."

Carissa Moore: "Heal up quick Brisa"

Yago Dora: "🙌 Wishing you a speedy recovery Brisa ❤"

Peter King: "Ahh so sorry to see that. Hope you heal soon and strong"

FreeSurf Magazine Publisher Mike Latronic: "Get well soon!!"

Shaper Glen Pang: "Get well soon!!"

Taylor Knox: "Sorry… you’ll heal fast."

Kahea Hart: "😢😢😢😢"

Betty Lou Sakua Johnson: "Heal and rest up. Take care of yourself! We love you ❤ I’m sure you’ll get back asap"

Caroline Marks: "Rest up Brisa. Love ya"

WSL Commentator AJ McCord: "Heal and rest up. Take care of yourself! We love you ❤ I’m sure you’ll get back asap"

Luana Silva: "Love you Bris ❤️ sending you light and love, you got this"

***

Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.

Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.