Kelly Slater, 54, Explains Why He ‘Almost Started Crying’ After Earning Near-Perfect Score in Monster Tahiti Wave
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: Hannah Anderson; Matt Dunbar/World Surf League
NEED TO KNOW
- Kelly Slater earned a near-perfect score at the Tahiti Pro, marking a major comeback after stepping away from competing in 2024
- The 11-time world champion defeated Gabriel Medina at Teahupo’o, known as one of the world’s most dangerous waves
- Slater and girlfriend Kalani Miller welcomed their second child, daughter Azumi Moon, just weeks before the event
Kelly Slater is deemed the “GOAT” for a reason.
The professional surfer, 54, was overcome with emotion after earning a near-perfect score on a monstrous wave at the Tahiti Pro, marking a significant comeback for the athlete who stepped away from full-time competition in 2024.
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Slater proved age has no limit with his impressive performance at Teahupo’o, the venue infamously regarded as “the heaviest wave in the world” that was the site for the 2024 Paris Olympics, knocking out three-time world champion Gabriel Medina on Monday, Aug. 10.
Kelly Slater at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro on Aug. 10, 2026.Credit: Hannah Anderson/World Surf League
“Everyone knows Gabe’s been through a lot lately,” Slater said during a post-heat interview. “It’s tough to come all this way and lose to someone who’s not in the title race. I’m on the other side of that now, so I feel all those emotions, the toughness of the travel, being away from family.”
“When you have a loss, it sucks. That was a very emotional heat,” shared Slater, who secured a near-perfect 19.06 out of 20 heat score. “I almost started crying afterward,” he admitted.
About two weeks prior to his win, Slater and his longtime girlfriend, Kalani Miller, 38, welcomed their second baby together, a girl named Azumi Moon, sharing the exciting news on Instagram on July 30.
Kelly Slater surfs in Heat 13 of round 2 at the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro on Aug. 10 at Teahupoo, Tahiti, French Polynesia.Credit: Hannah Anderson/World Surf League
In March 2024, the pair revealed that they were expecting their first little one. Slater and Miller announced the news in a similar joint Instagram Reel, both wearing swimsuits and holding hands as they walked toward the ocean for the black-and-white video.
In his post-heat interview, Slater — who’s also been recovering from hip surgery — acknowledged that the competition with Medina wasn’t going to be a breeze since the Brazilian surfer’s won the Tahiti Pro twice before, including victory over Slater in the 2014 final.
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“I definitely had to settle in. I knew going against [Medina], he’s just so savvy as a competitor,” he said. “I tried to push a bit deeper. I started doing breathing exercises, calming down and getting the heart rate down.”
“Part of me was thinking he’d come back, and part of me was thinking it would be super cool if he did, because it would make the heat such a good story,” Slater continued. “But I settled back out there and went, ‘... Let’s maximize what’s out here as opposed to just surfing a smart heat.’ ”
Kelly Slater with his newborn baby.Credit: Kelly Slater/Instagram
Slater won the Tahiti Pro five times throughout his illustrious career between 2000 and 2016. To date, the surf legend is an 11-time World Champion — which includes five consecutive titles in from 1994 to 1998.
In a video posted to Slater’s Instagram after the remarkable heat against Medina, he called the experience a “great life memory.” He added, “Super emotional heat for me and for Gabe, I had a good time.”
Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, professional surfer Griffin Colapinto told PEOPLE exclusively that “you can either die” or “have the best wave of your life” at the the Tahiti break.
Of the famed surf spot located off the Pacific coast of the French Polynesian island, three-time world champion surfer John John Florence previously told PEOPLE exclusively: “I would say it’s one of the most powerful waves in the world.”
He added, “But it’s also one of the most machine-like waves in the world, in the sense that it’s really similar every time when it’s really good.”
Read the original article on People