Is This John Florence's Year to Take the World Title?

Sitting as the World No. 1 after the Tahiti Pro, and with the Olympics to be held at Teahupo'o this summer, 2024 could well be the year John John Florence makes one of surfing’s epic comebacks after an injury-ravaged back half of his career.

After the Hawaiian claimed his third runner-up finish of the year in Tahiti, most of the exposure centered on the Hawaiian taking the yellow jersey. Yet, one of the lesser-known stats was that it was his 16th consecutive CT event. It’s this injury-free streak that now sees him with a huge chance of winning the World Title and an Olympic Gold over the next three months.

This is, by some distance, his longest consecutive competitive run since a run of 22 events in 2016 and 2017. You might remember that sequence ended with Florence claiming back-to-back World Titles. In doing so, he joined the esteemed company of Mark Richards, Tom Carroll, Tom Curren, Andy Irons and Kelly Slater as a forever world champ.

2016 was especially memorable. In addition to his debut World Title, Florence also won the Eddie Aikau Memorial and the Triple Crown. That he backed that “annus mirabilis” with another dominant World Title in 2017 had many experts and fans predicting that he was about to embark on a period of extended domination. A three-peat, last done by Andy Irons in 2004, looked odds-on.

Not long after that second title, however, he suffered a partial tear to his right ACL that ruled him out of the back half of 2018. That started a run of injuries over the next five years that included MCL and ACL tears on both knees, recurring ankle issues and a fractured back.

After each significant injury, he would focus on rehabbing and rebuilding. Just as he returned to full fitness, and showed the type of electrifying surfing that had him in every Fantasy Team, another serious injury would set him back mid-season. In 2019, it was an ACL injury suffered in Brazil. He went through surgery, heaven and hell to get back in the water for Pipeline so he could qualify for the Olympics. In 2021, he did his other knee in a heat in Margaret River.

In 2022, when he again tore his MCL at the G-Land Pro ranked No. 3 in the world, it was the fourth season in a row that he'd had his season curtailed. As a result, he’s never featured in the three editions of the WSL Finals. It looked like the injuries would be the defining aspect of a career that had been cut down in its prime.

And yet John John didn’t give up or turn his back on his competitive career. If anything, it was the opposite. “I think it's made me a better surfer in a weird way, I think a smarter surfer," Florence told his sponsor VivoBarefoot, a footwear label that promotes your foot's natural strength and movement. “I feel like I'm more patient on the wave, and I feel like I'm stronger because I'm training more."

John initially worked with Kelly Starrett, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, on strength and conditioning exercises with mobility work. The aim was to help him achieve optimal range of motion and prevent injuries. It has worked. Florence has racked up consistent results over the last two years. There haven’t been absolute breakout performances, like Margaret River in 2017, but three semifinal finishes last year, and three runner-ups in 2024, have seen him rise back to the top of surfing.

At The 2024 El Salvador Pro this coming week, Florence will wear the yellow jersey for the first time since winning the opening event of the 2021 season.

Now 31, as a new husband and father, Florence is back surfing at his very best. With three events remaining to a potential WSL Final appearance, and then the Olympics at Teahupo’o, it may be argued that he’s finally in form at just the right time. If he can stay fit, he might just be on the cusp of a truly remarkable comeback.

Related: Prediction: World No. 5 Italo Ferreira Will Take The El Salvador Pro