Just when many thought he was lost, 11-time world champion Kelly Slater did it again . In one of those days in Teahupo, where the heat was truly crushing, the Billabong Pro Tahiti closed with one of the best results and performances we've seen in recent memory.
When many thought he was lost, he takes out 10 rounds and sweeps the board at 44 years old.
With this latest victory, Kelly claims the 55th of her career at the world championship, adding this latest trophy to her fifth in Tahiti.
And it's no wonder, in the semi-finals he was already getting dozens of perfect times, against Keanu Asing, Ace Buchan but it didn't end there. Against John John Florence, he got a 9.77 in his first wave and a 9.90 later on.
There was a lot of quality, but Kelly came to win, and he felt it, like a premonition just before the final, when he and Andy Irons were awarded the Commitment Award. "I feel like I've already won," Kelly said.
This is a video summary of an incredible final.
Kelly Slater has found revenge, against John John Florence two years later.
Proving he still has plenty of surfing to offer, he left us with endless waves of waves. And he emerged victorious every time. Could he have been training in his wave pool and now there's no stopping him? Well, if that's true, fine by us, because he's truly a living spectacle.
Much has been said about his recent results, even the organizers of the World Surf League recalled this week that Kelly Slater was not having one of his best seasons. He sits in nineteenth place in the international rankings, with the semifinal in Fiji and the quarterfinals in J-Bay (South Africa) as his best results to date.
But at 44, he's proven he's unstoppable and that his mastery allows him to thrive in every duel. We remember the one the two surfers fought two years ago, which, for many, was the best round ever contested in the history of surfing.
Happy to be back in the Top 10, he was grateful for this day, which has made him so happy with his fans. From here, we can only say... Long live the King!
Good Waves!
Source: theintertia , World Surf League , Instagram , cover photo: Todd Glaser
