“This Will Be My One Chance”: Surfing GOAT Kelly Slater Desires to Qualify for the Most Challenging Competition at 51

Kelly Slater is arguably the greatest surfer in history. Throughout his illustrious career, Slater has set numerous records and won 11 World Surfing Leagues titles. Surfing made Slater a millionaire even before he graduated from high school. However, Kelly Slater never got the opportunity to win an Olympic medal. When the sport made its Olympic debut in 2021, Slater was 47. Despite his age, Slater tried his best to qualify, but narrowly missed out. Now 51, the surfing legend hopes to qualify for the most challenging competition, the Paris Olympics.

In 2019, while trying to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Slater lost against John John Florence by a narrow margin, missing the final spot on the team. However, with the start of the 2023 season, Slater can compete for a spot in the USA Olympic surfing team. The two Americans who perform the best could qualify for the Paris Olympics by the season’s end.

Kelly Slater is ready to fight for his last shot at Olympic glory

While promoting the upcoming season of Apple TV’s Make or Break, Slater said, “The next (Olympics) I’ll be 55 years old. I’m not going to be on tour by then. I did say that at 40, though, when I was talking about being 50.” However, the surfer acknowledged he aged a decade, and injuries have become frequent.

The WSL winner also said he could feel the “candle kind of burning out… that’s been for a while,”. However, he also said he would continue to surf till he couldn’t compete at an elite level. The surfing venue for the 2024 Olympics is Teahupo’o in Tahiti. Slater has conquered the waves at Teahupo’o, five times while on the Championship Tour. He is also hopeful that a third Olympic slot will open up if team USA wins the World Surfing Games team competition next year. “This will be my one chance,” said Slater, according to a report by NBC Sports.

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While Slater is aware the odds are stacked against him, he is also excited. “If I can get on that team, I feel like I have a good shot at potentially winning a medal or gold medal. If that were the case, I will drop the mic and quit right then,” said the former WLS champion.

How will the surfing legend overcome the odds?

Despite having the skill to compete against world-class surfers, Slater’s physical capability has taken a hit. In 2021, the surfer finished third at the Pipeline Masters. However, he couldn’t compete for half of the season because of injuries in his ankles and hip.

In 2022, Slater won the Pipeline Masters for the eighth time. However, the prolific champion exited early from most of his remaining seven competitions, making the quarter-final in only one. Hence the 11-time WLS winner is fighting an uphill battle, competing with surfers nearly half his age.

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Do you feel Kelly Slater can overcome the odds and make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.