Kloudbreak

Kelly. Again.

The King, again being chaired up the crushed coral sand of the Memanuca Islands.  He must have been saving his energy for the victory celebration, as he only caught two waves in the final.
   © Adriano de Souza
 

Turns like that? On waves like that?

Again, Kelly Slater has defeated physics.

There was a time when this event was won and lost on tube-riding skills alone, yet after today’s tough heats against Medina, CJ, and Julian -- Kelly demarcated what is and isn’t possible in critical turns in critical waves.

Slater was a high-speed pendulum, swinging off the bottom on his Merrick quad, before wrecking-balling lips where most would be looking for the relative safety of the barrel.

The only way Kelly could describe it was – “The waves just pumped, and they took me along with them.”

At 40, it was also his reminder to other title contenders, just how physical he still is.

And if anyone’s worried about his enthusiasm after so many years on tour, this is what he had to say. “Y’know, when I was younger I was a lot more serious … these days I’m just really enjoying it.”