Jordy Smith puts body first and withdraws from Tokyo Olympics

In a crushing turn of events, professional surfer and Red Bull athlete Jordy Smith has made the difficult decision to pull out the upcoming Summer Olympic Games at the last minute due to injury. 

A nagging knee injury that the Durban-born surfer has been dealing with since the Australian leg of World Surf League has forced Smith to give up his newly found Olympic dream.

Jordy Smith deserved Olympic shot and place in history

This decision comes as a particularly difficult pill to swallow for Smith, as he was set to cement himself in history as one of the first ever surfers to represent South Africa at the Olympics.

In recent competitions, Smith has kept up world-class performances despite flare ups but ultimately opted to undergo surgery on his left knee in an attempt to fix the issue a mere six weeks before the Tokyo Games were set to begin. 

According to Smith the healing process needed more time than he’d hoped, and he had to make the decision to prioritise his body and rather not risk further impact on his career. He pledged to compete in the next Olympics when the surfing competition will be held in Tahiti.

“It was tough to make the decision to withdraw,” Smith commented. “I’ve been looking forward to the Olympics a long time now and my build up was going so well. However, this decision is the only way to ensure I have a long career in professional surfing and reach my ultimate goal of winning the WSL Championship Tour.”

Smith remains arguably one of the biggest names in surfing around the world and has continuously set the pace for the country’s standard. He recently shared words of encouragement and support for the rest of the team representing South Africa.

“Rest assured, I’ll be there for the next one,” he added.