NEWS
Kelly Slater Eyeing 2024 Paris Olympics
Source: Reuters
Surf legend Kelly Slater has revealed he will officially retire in 2024, but he wants one more crack at the Olympics before he hangs up his board.
According to a press release from the Olympics, Slater told the Guardian newspaper, “If I make the Olympics, I’ll retire at the Olympics.”
Slater will be 52 years old at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where the surfing portion of the Games will take place at Teahupo’o in Tahiti, where he has won five titles on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour.
“The qualification process is going to be tough, but if I can get into the Olympics, the location the event is at in Tahiti – that wave really suits my strengths,” Slater shared. “So if I can get there I think I have a really good chance of a medal, but I think the harder part is going to be getting there, to be honest.”
Slater was a reserve for Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021, where surfing made its Games debut.
Paris 2024 will see 24 surfers in each of the men’s and women’s events, with ten spots awarded to the top male surfers in the 2023 WSL season. Additional berths are available for athletes to qualify via the ISA World Surfing Games.
