Kelly Slater, Title Number 10, Puerto Rico

Not much can be said about Kelly Slater that ain’t been said before. The burning eyes, the elasticised limbs, the bag of magic. We’ve all come to know Kelly’s trademarks and potentials so well that it’s easy to forget that this 10th world title is a first in sporting history.

Kelly won number 10 while in Puerto Rico at the Rip Curl Pro Search. His quarterfinal win resulted in enough points to defeat the only remaining threat to his campaign, South-African Jordy Smith.

The images above are similar to those we’ve seen before. Lack of hair aside, the second and third photos could be from 1992, when the young Floridian won his first world championship. The first image of the three above, however, is a sign of the changing times. It shows Kelly hugging Jordy, whose efforts this year were almost the spanner in Kelly’s title wheels.

The question, asked a million times before, still remains: Where will Kelly Slater go from here? – Elliot Struck