John Florence Just Made His Official Olympic Announcement, Slater’s Fate on the Line
Will he stay or will he go?
John Florence’s Olympic hopes were deeply imperiled when he injured his knee at the Margaret River Pro some two-and-a-half months back.
The injury resulted in an ACL surgery, which typically takes a minimum of four months to heal. John was back surfing in just 90 days, which makes a boy wonder what kind of sorcery was performed in that operating room.
Did they freeze time? Was it stem cells? Is John rocking a bionic knee?
The world may never know.
However, thanks to a recent Instagram post, we do know that John officially plans to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Games, dashing the fate of one Robert Kelly Slater, who was next in line should John’s injury preclude him from competing.
John’s post reads:
This photo brings back some great memories from my last trip to Japan back in 2011. Hopefully the surf looks like this for the @olympics ! I’m very proud to be representing @usasurfing with @koloheandino22 @rissmoore10@caroline_markss
And just like that, Slater’s out. The GOAT won’t be getting his gold, at least not this year. Chances are John won’t either, considering he’s fresh off an injury and competing against two of the three best beach break surfers in the world (the other one couldn’t make it due to arbitrary event quotas). But hey, there’s probably a solid appearance fee.
As for John’s message on IG, well, Albee Layer said it best.
@live.fast.die.old: “For sure it’ll look just like that. Don’t pack anything under a 6’4”
See you in Japan.
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