Despite an Upsetting Olympics Bid, Kelly Slater Aims for a Podium Finish After Back-to-Back WSL Wildcards

Every surfing fan knows the name Kelly Slater. Slater is widely considered the greatest to take up the sport and is an 11-time World Champion. Slater also has 56 Championship Tour victories to his name, a record that may not be exceeded any time soon. Slater’s resume, while outstanding, has just one missing detail. He has yet to make an appearance in the Olympics.

Slater who is 51 years old will be within touching distance of his 52nd birthday by the time the next surfing season begins. He has been surfing professionally since 1989, whilst Slater’s first Championship Tour win came in 1992 at the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii. The next iteration of the same event will kick off the season in late January of which Kelly Slater will get to be a part too.

Kelly Slater misses out on the Olympics once more

Not just Paris, but Kelly Slater also failed to make it to the Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics. But he will be a part of the WSL Championship Tour events next year. Slater has been awarded a wildcard berth for the 2024 season. According to Florida Today, he will return to the scene of his first and most recent surfing win in the next year. Incidentally, his last Championship Tour win came in 2022. He failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, ending the 2023 season as the 23rd-ranked surfer. Compatriot Griffin Colapinto beat him to the spot allocated in the quota.

While not his worst finish to a season, Slater recorded possibly his worst points tally after 10 events. His best finish during any event was placing ninth on three different occasions. Slater will look to bounce back strongly from a disappointing season as he inches towards the end of his career. He was a wildcard entry during the past season, too. Surfers who finish below the 24th spot at the midway point are relegated to lower-level qualifying series.

They must then compete with the younger stars. There are some misgivings to the tune of Kelly Slater taking away a youngster’s deserved spot. Simultaneously, his presence guarantees a much bigger following for the events. John Hughes, Executive Director of the Florida Surf Museum, said, “As far as the general public goes, there’s Kelly Slater, then there’s everybody else.” While the neutrals will hope he gets another title, others will sing a different tune.

Filipe Toledo will look to extend his dominance

Foremost on that list is Filipe Toledo. Currently the world’s highest-ranked surfer, he secured back-to-back world titles over the last two seasons. It made him the first Brazilian to achieve that feat. He will hope to continue his recent dominance and will definitely not make it smooth sailing for Slater. Toledo, moreover, is set to compete in the Paris Olympics. He finished first in three of ten events last season.

Read More – After Achieving Back-to-Back Rare Feats, Reigning Surfing World Champion Shares Heartfelt Message Ahead of 2024 Olympics

It remains to be seen if Kelly Slater will hit the waves in a professional capacity after the next season. He has fought the advance of Father Time up to this point but will succumb eventually. Slater has a chance to end his career on a high despite missing out on the Olympics once more. The question is whether he will grab it with both hands with yet another opportunity given to him.

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