“Have Every Intention of Being 90 and Surfing”: Kelly Slater Remained Optimistic on His Future Despite ‘Feeling Pretty Old’ in 2016

The world’s greatest surfer Kelly Slater continues to be in the headlines for his competitive surfing career. Recently the news of Kelly and other renowned surfers not appearing in the upcoming Pipe Masters championship has shocked fans globally. There has yet to be any news of the 50-year-old retiring from the sport. However, Kelly Slater once indicated that he is not tiring until 90.

Slater is an 11x World Champion dominating the sport for the past three decades. In 1995, 1998, and 2019 he became the Triple Crown of Surfing Champion. Moreover, Slater’s name is inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.

Kelly Slater once opened up about his retirement plans

Growing up near water, Kelly Slater started surfing at five. Although, he was scared of drowning initially, he picked up the surfing techniques pretty well. Slater began participating in age-division championships by 10 in the Atlantic Coast and the United States. From a young age, he began to prove himself by winning titles at different championships. When Kelly was 12, he stood third in England’s junior division at the world amateur championships. In the following year, he won the Pacific Cup junior championship in Australia.

Throughout his career, Kelly’s performance kept improving. Having started at such a young age, Kelly has experienced multiple circumstances as a surfer. Back in 2016, 44-year-old Kelly opened up about his retirement plans and struggle to fight his age, in an interview with Stab Mag. He stated:

“I feel pretty old. Not mentally, just in my body. At the moment I’m training to overcome injuries so I can be strong for the next world tour [Slater has won 11 world championships, making him the youngest and oldest title holder at 20 and 39]. I’m not retiring. I have every intention of being 90 and surfing Hawaii’s Backdoor Pipeline.”

Read More: Not Just a High Stakes 11x Champ, Kelly Slater Proves to Young Ones, Surfing Can Help Build a Solid Body and a Sound Mind

Indeed, Kelly continues to show a series of beautiful performances at various world tours. For many, he is not just Kelly Slater, he is King Kelly.

What more does Slater do besides surfing?

Besides being a successful surfer, Kelly Slater is an environmentally conscious person. He runs a brand, Outerknown. It manufactures sustainable swimwear and surfboards. As a surfer, he has also contributed to his sport. Kelly created man-made waves that enhance surf competitions.

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Kelly Slater Wave Company debuted in 2018 on the World Championship Tour. It created perfect, man-made, barrelling waves. Kelly Slater’s  expertise is in organizing an artificial setting for surfing, providing the finest service and experience.