There are several surfing stars who have worn the yellow jersey more than once, but Kelly Slater holds the record for most. The eleven-time World Surf League champion has been at the top of his game for a long time, and his supporters still go to see him compete. However, Brazilian Kelly Slater supporters were dismayed when the icon bowed out of last year’s Rio Pro event due to an injury, and they aren’t too thrilled with this year’s withdrawal for the same reason.

Today, surfing superstar Kelly Slater pulled out of the Vivo Rio Pro 2023, according to the WSL’s official social media page. The community argued about this ‘injury’ in the comments area, and the word spread like wildfire.

The disappointing season continues for the surfing legend

Kelly Slater has dominated the sport for decades, and his most recent World Surf League (WSL) victory, from 2011, made him the only surfer in history to win 11 WSL championships. The present 51-year-old surfer still competes in WSL tournaments despite being thoroughly beaten by younger surfers. Slater’s adoring public watched in dismay as their hero was beaten soundly by Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina in the 2023 El Salvador contest.

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The legend’s 2023 WSL season is off to a disappointing start, as he has already been knocked out of the first round of competition for around five tournaments. Although Slater’s fans expected him to bounce back from his humiliating loss at Surf City El Salvador by dominating the Vivo Rio Pro, he was forced to pull out of the event hours before it began due to “ongoing illness,” as stated by the World Surf League on their Instagram account. A year before, the 51-year-old surfing veteran also withdrew from the same WSL event as he was celebrating World Ocean Day in Uluwatu, Bali, but strangely, due to an injury that wasn’t disclosed, the icon withdrew from the event for the first time in his whole surfing career.

Kelly Slater’s unexpected withdrawal from the major Brazilian surfing contest caused quite a stir, and many of his admirers were quick to voice their opinions.

Fans’ disappointment is immeasurable

Kelly Slater’s withdrawal from today’s Vivo Rio Pro was announced by WSL on Instagram. The news spread like wildfire, and supporters of the surfing icon flooded the comments with their thoughts.

Watching one of the biggest surfers in the world withdraw has made tons of fans disappointed, as one fan commented, “Quite funny, since he received the wildcard for the rest of the season and still can’t commit. Even with bad waves, I bet a ton of other surfers would dream of having the opportunity that was granted to him. I’m disappointed, but not surprised…” A fan of the legend left a comment that read, “Im a massive Slater fan, but his medical history shows that Kelly is definitely allergic to Brazil.”

As if the last event wasn’t disappointing enough for the fans of the legend, this fan said, “El Salvador was the worst event of the year. Brazil: hold my beer.” A fellow surfer commented on this, saying, “The old saqurema backwash illness. It got me a few times as well.”

It was an odd experience for surf fans to tune in to the Rio Pro without the legend. The surfing community as a whole was undoubtedly taken aback by this news.

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