The WSL honored the GOAT with a heartfelt look back at Kelly Slater’s career. Photo: WSL // YouTube
Kelly Slater’s dominance in surfing can hardly be overstated. He has won the championship 11 times and is both the oldest and youngest champion of all time. More than anyone else, he is the face of surfing.
However, after falling below the cut line following the 2024 Margaret River event, Kelly repeatedly hinted that this Championship Tour season would be his last. ““This is not necessarily the wave I want to end up on,” he said after his loss to Colapinto in the round of 32. “I applied for a wildcard for Fiji, so we’ll see how that goes. It is what it is, everything comes to an end. If you don’t adapt, you don’t survive and my motivation just wasn’t quite there to really give 100 percent like everyone does.”
He then unsurprisingly secured a wildcard entry into the recently concluded Fiji Pro, giving him another shot at CT glory. However, Slater failed to make it past the elimination round, where a loss to Yago Dora forced the legend to once again confront the reality of his position. “This is probably the last heat I’ll surf here,” he said afterwards. “I have a million great memories. Tavarua, you’ve been my family forever. Thank you guys, I love you.”
In the wake of Kelly’s departure from the Championship Tour (although he has yet to utter the word “retirement”), the WSL has released an emotional tribute to his career. Titled “VROM to GOAT,” the retrospective not only looks at the competitive dominance we know him for, but also the doubts and criticism Slater faced early in his career. Of course, it also includes plenty of fantastic footage of Kelly’s moments of glory over the years.
“Kelly, from Grom to Goat, you have been a huge inspiration to us all,” reads the caption of the video posted on the WSL YouTube channel. “We asked our friend Taylor Steele to direct this video, which showcases some unforgettable moments from your unprecedented competitive career that continues to this day. Narrated by many surfing legends who equally admire the greatest of all time.”
