Since 1992, Kelly Slater has dominated the World Surf League’s Championship Tour and served as the global face of the sport. But with a heat loss in the Round of 32 at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, that run may be over. The surfer had one of the most dominant and enduring careers in pro sports appears to have come to an end this week.
Surfer Kelly Slater Retires From Full-time Competition
🐐@WestAustralia #MargaretRiverPro pic.twitter.com/585j8uztqf
— World Surf League (@wsl) April 16, 2024
Kelly Slater, the greatest professional surfer of all time, is done competing full-time on the WSL Championship Tour. Slater was knocked out of the Margaret River Pro by current World No. 1 Griffin Colapinto in the Round of 32 earlier this week. With that loss, he misses the league’s Mid-season Cut, which reduces the tour by a third and would have to compete on the Challenger Series to requalify.
While he didn’t release an official retirement statement, an emotional Slater said in his post-heat interview, “Everything comes to an end. If you don’t adapt, you don’t survive.” After the loss, he was chaired up the steps at Margaret River by fans and fellow surfers, later adding “It’s not all roses, you know, but it’s been the best time of my life.”
Kelly Slater’s Three Decades of Dominance
No one in surfing history comes close to Kelly Slater’s career accomplishments. In over 30 years on tour, he won a record 11 World Titles, including an unfathomable five straight from 1994 to 1998. He leads all surfers in career event wins with 56, his latest coming at last year’s event at Pipeline just days before his 50th birthday. Kelly Slater is also both the sport’s youngest and oldest World Champion ever, winning the title at age 20 in 1992 and at age 39 in 2011.
What’s Next for Kelly Slater
Though it’s been over a decade since his last World Title, the surfer was still a huge draw on tour. Always a threat critical, barreling waves on tour, he could still be counted on to perform at locations like Pipeline, Teahupo’o, and Cloudbreak. In his post-heat interview at Margaret River, he hinted at competing in another event this year, saying “I have put in for a wildcard for Fiji and we’ll see how that goes.”
While this chapter of his unrivaled career may be ending, I’d guess Slater consistently pops up as a yearly wildcard at some of the events mentioned above. He should be a fixture in the Pipeline event for however long he desires, and here’s to hoping we see Kelly Slater in the commentator’s booth more as well.
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Daniel Willon is a sportswriter based in Southern California. A lifelong Chargers, Lakers, and UCLA fan, he’s covered everything from football to surfing. Follow him on X @dwillsports.
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