Kelly Slater, 51, approaches the surfing retiree – 02/20/2023 – Sports

Winner of the first stage of the 2022 World Surfing season, in the legendary waves of Pipeline, in Oahu, Hawaii, Kelly Slater said, less than a week before his 50th birthday: “Maybe I can be world champion”.

Later, in the second half, faced with the difficulties of an exhausting race, he admitted: “I don’t know what part of my brain thinks I should have stopped at Pipe”.

It would have even been an apotheotic end to the career of the biggest name in the history of the modality. “The best victory of my life”, said, moved, the one who accumulates triumphs in 56 stages of the elite circuit and 11 world titles.

Kelly’s glory in Hawaii is the theme of the opening episode of the second season of the series “Make or Break”, available on Apple TV+ since last Friday (17). The victory over the Hawaiian Barron Mamiya, in the burst of the clock, and the decisive battle with the also Hawaiian Seth Moniz – who was born in 1997, when Slater was already in his eighth year in the elite – are painted with epic paints.

“I dedicated my life to this. I hated most of it,” says Slater, during the Pipe campaign, explaining that the “obsession” was what got him so far in the sport. “I feel this light going out, you know?”, He claims, exhausted in celebration: “I’m tired to c…!”.

The North American from Florida was unable to maintain the level displayed in the first leg of the circuit. He ended the competition in 15th position, without a place among the five finalists who decided the title in the waves of Lower Trestles, in San Clemente, in the United States.

The 2023 event started again at Pipeline, again with the star’s retirement on the horizon. This time he did not repeat the glory obtained eight times on the same beach. He stopped in the phase before the round of 16, with 1.23 and 1.20 as his scoring notes, knocked down by the Brazilian Yago Dora.

“I’m stuck, I couldn’t find a rhythm”, he recognized, between the heats he disputed.

While competing, Kelly received news of the (second) farewell of the big name in another modality. Tom Brady, 45, the greatest in American football, a year after he announced his goodbyes and gave up, he decided to hang up his boots and helmet for good.

“For people who have done something they love for a long time, it goes beyond the money they earn, it goes beyond. It turns into friendships, lifestyle, family and everything else. it’s there. I don’t think there would be a player in the league today who would say that Brady couldn’t win a Super Bowl today.”

“So it’s hard to see that possibility and not want to go for it. I can relate to that, after all this time. I love surfing. But I feel the candle kind of going out for me, it’s been a while. I think I will. surfing until when it’s all done, I really don’t care anymore and want to be someone else,” he added.

In the second stage of the year, in Sunset Beach, also in Hawaiian Oahu, the undecamp champion had the strength to go through to the octaves. He has said that he intends to do a full season before quitting, which appears to be close. As he has repeatedly said, “the flame is going out”.