“I Honestly Underestimated His Talents”: Surfing Icon Kelly Slater Makes a Candid Confession About Olympic Gold Medalist During Hall of Fame Ceremony

Since its inception in 1997, the Surfer’s Hall of Fame has been dedicated to honoring the greats of surfing. The prestigious felicitation is reserved for those who have made a timeless impact on the sport through their actions. This year, 3 special stalwarts of surfing were inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame. One of them was the Olympic gold medalist Italo Ferreira. During the official ceremony, a note to be read was sent by the King of Surfing, Kelly Slater. In the note, he made a candid confession about Italo Ferreira.

During his reign in competitive wave riding, Italo Ferreira has proved his mettle as an extraordinary surfer. His career has been bedazzled with success. From obtaining the ‘Rookie of the Year’ in his debut season, to becoming the first male surfer to clinch a gold at the Olympics, Ferreira has struck gold numerous times. Hence, what Kelly Slater revealed almost comes as oxymoronic to the indomitable deeds exhibited by the Brazilian surfer.

Kelly Slater makes a surprising confession

A ceremony held on August 4, 2023, at the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington, California, saw many big names of the surfing community gather in one place. Kelly Slater, the 11-time world champion who ruled competitive surfing for more than three decades, was there in spirit. While he did not attend personally, Kelly Slater sent a speech to be read out to herald the 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Italo Ferreira. In the beginning, the remarks said, “What can I say about this guy?”

According to a report by Shop Eat Surf, Kelly Slater further added, “When he arrived on tour, I honestly underestimated his talents. He has proven to be one of the most exciting and dynamic surfers ever on tour, winning the hearts of surfers and fans around the world, and has shown us some things nobody has done before.” There is no doubt that Italo Ferreira has completely obliterated any doubts in the hearts of the surfing community, including the iconic Kelly Slater. His explosiveness on the surfboard and his hardiness have made him the ideal candidate for a Hall of Fame induction.

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This is why during the induction ceremony, Italo Ferreira was the first to place his hands and feet in the wet concrete at the Huntington Surf & Sport. Along with Ferreira, surf writer Laylan Connelly, and the President of the ISA, the man to put surfing on the Olympics map, Fernando Aguerre, were also showered with the honor. After being inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame, these inductees join surf legends such as Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Laird Hamilton, and Ben Aipa, among many others. And Italo Ferreira’s induction is no surprise, given his achievements.

A star-studded journey in surfing

Ferreira’s beginnings were humble, to say the least. Hailing from Baía Formosa, in Rio Grande do Norte on the northeastern coast of Brazil, he started surfing at a young age and fell in love with the sport. From there, there was no separating the Brazilian and the ocean. However, his real journey began when he was discovered by Luiz ‘Pinga’ Campos at the age of 12. He conquered the Brazilian Championship in 2014 and qualified for the professional tour in 2015.

In 2018, he tasted his first major victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. For the next three years, the Brazilain continued to conquer the surfing scene. Finally, he achieved the dream some professional surfers can only think about. He qualified for the Olympics, and in 2021, he became the first gold medalist at the debut of the sport on the biggest global stage. His passion and grit are what led Kelly Slater to recognize the special athlete Ferreira is.

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