Kelly Slater, a legendary surfer from the United States, is no amateur when it comes to the sport. The superstar, now in his 50s, has won 11 World Surf League championships and has been active in professional surfing for almost 20 years. The icon of surfing has had a really uneventful and contentious 2023 WSL season. Slater’s controversy began at the Vivo Rio Pro, a competition he did not attend for reasons he has not explained. Despite this, the surfer was seen at the South African WSL event, the Corona Open J-Bay, a few days before the tournament and did surf in the first round. But he didn’t count on his first round going the opposite way.

In the opening round of the Corona Open at J-Bay, the greatest surfer of all time had to contend with Liam O’Brien and Griffin Colapinto. Colapinto is the next big thing in American surfing, and he showed it by upsetting Slater’s comeback and pulling off a fantastic trick during the competition.

Literally flew over the mind of Kelly Slater

Many surfers’ calendars were marked for the Corona Open J-Bay. The Vivo Rio Pro, held a long time before the South African event, was marred by rough waves that were less than suitable for good surfing. Fans in South Africa, meanwhile, were looking forward to seeing the American icon take on the young wonder. Colapinto is hot on the heels of yellow jersey holder Filipe Toledo, just a few points behind. Colapinto had a great first round with a score of 7.67. On his third ride, though, Colapinto achieved the unthinkable: he leisurely rode the waves, took his time, and then jumped off a perfect wave with an impressive aerial maneuver. He scored an 8.50 on this aerial.

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Colapinto finished the competition with a score of 16.17, signaling that it was time for the surfing great to return. Slater, however, fared poorly, earning a total score of 7.44 (4.17 + 3.27). Liam O’Brien, a surfer from Australia, got a total of 8.26 (4.43 + 3.83) and was nowhere near as good as the American prodigy. Colapinto moved on to the next round of the bracket, while Slater will face Australian surfer Jack Robinson in the next round of elimination.

The legendary surfer finally has reason to worry as the midseason cut line looms. To keep his title hopes alive, Kelly Slater has to start winning his next surfing matches.

Concerning details for the fans of the surfing legend

Kelly Slater, at 51 years old, has been at the top of his sport for a long time. His last triumph was in 2011, and since then, the legend has been unable to win another championship. In the current round of the Corona Open J-Bay, Slater will compete against young Jack Robinson. As he approaches the midseason cut line, a win here would prolong his championship hopes.

Jack Robinson, now ranked eighth in the championship, will want to improve his chances of finishing in the top five by winning this match. Surfing lovers may expect a heated elimination round in the near future.

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