Julian at the US Open in 2022. Photo: Red Bull
It appears Julian Wilson is ending his attempt to claw back onto surfing’s Championship Tour. After two poor results on the Challenger Series, the 37-year-old CT veteran is turning his attention back to building his brand, Rivvia.
“Dreams of a WSL return fade away as I take @rivvia.projects by the horns,” Wilson wrote. “My true passion is building this brand into a reflection of my gratitude from the golden era in professional surfing which I’m very thankful to have experienced. With the continued support of the Rivvia community that is building before my eyes, there’s a lot of hope on the horizon.”
Wilson left the Championship Tour in 2021. In 2024, he announced his return to professional competitive surfing and began publicly lobbying the WSL for a CT wildcard. He posted Instagram stories and commented on posts saying he would accept a wildcard for the 2025 season, but those spots had already been awarded to Filipe Toledo and João Chianca.
The WSL eventually awarded Wilson a Challenger Series wildcard, giving him a chance to earn his way back onto tour. He looked more than capable of competing with the best when he also received a wildcard entry into the Gold Coast Pro CT stop in May, where he finished runner-up – just four-tenths of a point shy of taking the win.
However, Wilson was unable to carry that momentum among the youthful talent of the Challenger Series. He opened the season with a 49th-place finish at Newcastle, Australia, then followed it with a 65th at the US Open in Huntington Beach, California.
It appears Wilson saw the writing on the wall and chose not to enter any further events. Trying to re-qualify for the Challenger Series to go for a CT berth next year would be a long grind, one it seems he no longer is interested in. He may still have a single-event CT wildcard or two left in the tank, but the days of Wilson competing full-time on tour appear to be over.
