The peerless, incomparable Kelly Slater proved himself to be not just the greatest surfer in the world, but one of the greatest sportsmen of the last 20 years when he won an unprecedented record 10th World Surfing Championship.
The dominance of Slater in his sport over two decades has been breath-taking.
He became the youngest ever world champion in 1992 at the age of 20. He became the oldest at 34 in 2006. And now four years later he is still winning championships and pushing back the boundaries of sporting excellence.
It is a tribute to his dedication to sport at the age of 38 and his impact on surfing that he is still around and setting the standards to beat.
The inevitable question must be: will anyone ever manage to match the remarkable records set by this amazing man.
In November, Slater claimed his 45xth career elite event on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) tour, winning the Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico to clinch the World Championship.
Earlier in 2010, he prevailed at huge contests in Portugal, California and Australia. He dominated the podium this year, adding two runners-up finishes and one-third place. Slater never suffered a bad heat all year, affirming his legacy as surfing’s all-time best.
Slater, who spent a large portion of his youth in Puerto Rico, had a huge support crew of family and friends on hand to witness his incredible feat as well as the support of tens of thousands on the beach cheering him on.
At the age of 39, Kelly Slater won a record 11th World Surfing Championship. His heat win at the Rip Curl Pro Search over talented young Brazilians Gabriel Medina, 17, and Miguel Pupo, 19, gave him the points he needed to take the title. During the year he won the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay and Hurley Pro at Trestles. Slater, who has won three Laureus World Sports Awards in his career, has dominated men’s surfing for two decades. He became the youngest ever world champion in 1992 at the age of 20 and the oldest at 34 in 2006. And now five years later he is still winning world championships and pushing back the boundaries of sporting excellence.
SPORT FOR GOOD
Follow us on