Surfing great Slater cut from Championship Tour

Surfing legend Kelly Slater will compete in New Zealand for the first time since 1993.
Photo: Supplied: Piha Pro

Eleven-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater has been eliminated from the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia and cut from the Championship Tour, in a dramatic moment that is likely to spell the end of his more than 30-year long career.

The 51-year old – widely regarded as the greatest surfer of all time – was knocked out in the round of 32 meaning he has failed to make the mid-season cut and can no longer compete on the top level championship tour.

“It is what it is. Let’s see how things turn out,” Slater said after his heat, adding he was not sure what his plans for the future were and whether he would retire.

“Plans for the future. I want to get really barrelled somewhere.”

Slater surfed hard and posted solid scores but could not beat Australian Liam O’Brien in their heat in clean, powerful waves at Margaret River’s Main Break in front of thousands of spectators.

Slater could now compete on the second-tier challenger series or decide to retire, after dominating his sport in a way few other athletes have.

The Florida-born surfer won his first world title at the age of 20 in 1992, after winning the competition at the fabled Pipeline break in Hawaii.

He won a world title every year between 1994 and 1998, absolutely dominating, and then took a few years off before coming back to competition in 2001 and winning five more world titles, his last one in 2011.

He would come to redefine surfing and influence generations of surfers, including many who were not born when he won his first world title but would then go on to become professional surfers themselves and compete against their hero.

The oldest surfer on tour, Slater himself said he had been in a “slump” for the last year, despite winning at Pipeline in 2022.

Earlier on Saturday, he said he had been thinking about what he will do if things did not go his way and his days as a professional surfer come to an end at Margaret River.

“I’d love to own four or five dogs. I’d love to build a house, you know, probably have some kids,” he said.

“I’ve already got a daughter, who got married. So I’ve already sort of gone through the whole generational thing. But being on tour and surfing full time and being an athlete your whole life you do miss a few things here and there for sure.

“But I’m living the life I wanted to live as a kid.

“Life after tour just means I won’t be in as many contests, I’ll just be surfing probably better waves.”

– ABC