“I’m Nowhere Near 100%, Don’t Think I’ll Ever Be”: Surf Legend Kelly Slater’s Honest Admission While Training for 2019 World Cup Shows the Dark Side of Professional Surfing

Robert Kelly Slater is a famous professional American surfer. Widely recognized as Kelly Slater, the legendary surfer has won the World Surf League for a record 11 times. This feat includes five consecutive title wins from 1994 to 1998. For his brilliant achievements in surfing, fans consider Slater one of the most legendary surfers in the world.

Even though surfing might look fun and exciting from the shore, it is indeed a risky sport to execute. In one of Slater’s candid videos, his casual conversation revealed the unpredictability of the sport.

Kelly Slater’s uncommon confession

The World Surf League YouTube channel released a series of the surfer Kelly Slater’s unseen footage from the past. The series named “Kelly Slater: Lost Tapes”, is like a docu-series on Slater’s surfing career.

The first episode featured Slater preparing for the 2019 WSL Championship Tour and aiming for his 12th world title. While sharing his experiences, Slater confessed to suffering from PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and often worried about injuring himself while in action.

In the candid conversation, the star spoke about how the unpredictability of the sport makes him unsure about his efforts. He said, “I just have like PTSD around a little bit like that ‘Am I going to land? Am I going hear my foot rupture?’ So yeah I have got to figure out how to get back in the air again.”

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A legendary surfer like Slater also made an unusual admission regarding himself. “I am nowhere near 100%, I don’t know if I’ll ever be,” confessed Slater. Although surfing might seem like a bright and happening sport under the waters, it is dark and dangerous.

Kelly Slater and his surfing achievements

Slater, a Florida state native, began surfing at the young age of five years. By 10 years of age, the legendary surfer started participating in surfing championships and won titles from the get-go.

In 1990, Slater turned into a professional surfer, and within two years, he reached the podium finish at global surfing events. Slater won his first world championship aged 20, thus becoming the youngest surfing world champion ever.

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Fast forward to a 39-year-old Slater, he became the oldest surfer to win the WSL men’s title. Although Slater has taken a few breaks from surfing, he is yet to “call it quits” on the sport.