You may remember Kelly Slater for her appearances on The Beach Watchers, for her video game for Play Station 2, for her courtships with Pamela Anderson, Gisele Bundchen and Cameron Díaz or even for her pinitos as a rocker, as a model, as a dj. In any case, if you remember Kelly Slater they are already old. And Slater himself has a message for you: it doesn't matter. At 47, the surf legend, the only 11-time world champion, is in the middle of another wave, one of the highest in his career, and it seems that he will dance on it so joyfully: he wants to participate in the Games of Tokyo 2020

Despite his age and his aches - especially his back - Slater wishes to experience the premiere of surfing as an Olympic sport and is just a few steps away from getting it. This September will compete in the World Cup in Japan, an obligation imposed by the International Surf Federation (ISA) to be in the Games, and, although he had announced his retirement this year, he will continue on the circuit until next summer to add the necessary points .

He has it in his hand. Each country can classify two surfers and, although he is the third best American in the world rankings - the eighth overall - the second, John John Florence , suffers a serious injury that will soon cause him to drop positions. The first Yankee on the list, currently the best surfer in the world, Kolohe Andino , seems unattainable, but Slater has enough advantage to tie the second national position. If he does, he will be the most veteran Olympic debutante out of horse riding, sailing and shooting, surpassing the record set by another famous athlete, Martina Navratilova , premiering with 47 years at the 2004 Athens Games.

"It would be nice to be in Tokyo, it is an event with a lot of potential, in which we can expose surfing to a huge audience, although right now I only think about recovering the sensations on the waves and improving my latest results," Slater told NBC Sports between illusion and annoyance. After a break of two metatarsals of the right foot left him without competing almost all of 2018, this year he has only been able to add a podium, a third place in Bali, and takes three appointments of the world circuit finishing ninth. «A ninth place for me can only be a bad result. Throughout my career I have always been in the top eight », I recognized the myth of surfing with demand, although its success no longer depends on the sea.

After his peak of fame in the 1990s, Slater focused on combining his sports career with a successful business career. In addition to getting involved in brands that sponsored him as Billabong, the surfer created an ambitious project: his Surf Ranch. After years and years of efforts to build it, today it offers a 700-meter artificial lake with perfect waves in the California desert and success is unquestionable. Hundreds of surfers come to the place to train without facing the inclemency of the sea.

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