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American claims an unprecedented eighth pro title
by George Mojo
14/10/2006:// Despite there being two events still remaining in the World Championship Tour season, the Floridian Slater cannot be overtaken at the top of the rankings by any of his closest rivals - including Taj Burrow, Andy Irons, Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning, who were all eliminated prior to the Billabong Pro Mundaka final.
Slater finished runner up at the contest to Bobby Martinez. The Californian made the most of the tricky three to four foot wind-affected peaks at the so-called Euskadian Pipeline to clinch the ASP Mundaka title.
It has been another scintillating year for Slater, kicking off the season with a sound win in the Quiksilver Pro on Australia’s Gold Coast.
He then backed that up with a win in event number two, the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach Victoria, Australia.
His event stats then read: third in the Billabong Pro Tahiti; a no show at The Globe WCT Fiji; 5th in the Rip Curl Pro Search, 3rd Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, 2nd Boost Mobile Pro, California; 3rd Quiksilver Pro France; and now second in the Billabong Pro Mundaka.
And while Burrow – who had a second to Slater in the opening event and again came in at second to Fanning at Jeffereys Bay – at times looked to be closing in on the front runner, Slater has held onto the top slot all year.
Slater admitted that this year has probably been his best consistency-wise since he claimed his first title way back in 1992.
“This has definitely been my most consistent year ever,” said Slater. “I’ve been much more relaxed this year. I’ve just been cruising and having fun and haven’t put so much pressure on myself.”
After claiming six world crowns in the ’90s Slater drifted into semi-retirement in 1999.
He then returned to the Foster’s ASP Men’s World Tour in 2001 and after an incredible duel with former three-time champion Andy Irons (HAW) Slater reclaimed the crown in 2005.
And after such an emotionally draining win last year, the 34-year-old Floridian hinted that he may again look to retire in 2006.
At the beginning of the year Slater was still not committed to completing the whole tour.
Slater claimed that after the two wins in the opening events he had found new momentum and after a rib injury held him out of the Globe WCT in Fiji, he began to muster for an all out assault.
“I was almost going to retire this year,” said Slater. “And then I won on the Gold Coast and then at Bells and kept going. I tore a rib cartilage at Bells, and then I hit the same spot with my board in Tahiti. That meant that I missed Fiji, which probably kept my motivation going into the next event in Mexico. That made me more focused, and I had the advantage of competing in one less event than the other guys but still had the ratings lead, so I could afford to relax and take things as they came.”
Yet again Slater has displayed that he is most definitely the greatest competitive surfer of all time.
While many of his much younger rivals consistently lift the performance bar year in year out, Slater continues to match the new school and out do the old.
“I’ve got to get away from everyone for it to sink in. I need a little space. I had a lot of stress for the last couple of years before winning last year and this year I haven’t really had any stress at all. I’ve been on a good run and I just kept getting those results. I wasn’t really too worried about it either way. It all just came together, it’s just been the smoothest year ever as far as competition goes.," said Slater.
My life is pretty cruisey now. I don’t know how to put it, but it’s definitely not the emotional output of last year. I had years of stuff building up to that and this year is just happier. Everything came out last year.”
Slater will decide later this year whether to retire from the tour or go for a ninth title: “I feel good, I feel like I’m surfing as strong and as good as ever. I feel like I’m competing better than ever. It makes me feel like I can keep going if I want. I just don’t know if that’s what I want now. At this point I’m not sure.”
“It is tempting to go for another world crown, but it’s also tempting when you’re doing well to keep going. If I had come back and not won the title it could have been a frustrating thing for me looking back, but it’s also part of doing everything possible to try and have everything you can have.”
Current Foster’s ASP Men’s World Tour top 10 ratings after event #9 The Billabong Pro Mundaka
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 7824 2. Andy Irons (HAW) 6348 3. Taj Burrow (AUS) 6290 4. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 6050 5. Mick Fanning (AUS) 5848 6. Bobby Martinez (USA) 5843 7. Damien Hobgood (USA) 5152 8. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 4948 9. Taylor Knox (USA) 4880 10. Dean Morrison (AUS) 4856
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