Kelly Slater established himself as the greatest surfer in the history of the sport after an amazing 2006 in which he won an unprecedented eighth World Championship.
The amazing man from Florida became the youngest ever world champion in 1992 at the age of 20. And in 2006 he became the oldest at 34. Slater’s dominance has spanned a generation and made him an icon to Action Sports lovers. It is doubtful if anyone will ever match his unbelievable record.
He is now four world titles ahead of his nearest rival Australia’s Mark Richards, who won his four titles back in the 1980s when surfing was just an embryonic sport.
In his sport, Slater has set new standards just as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Tony Hawk have in theirs.
While sportsmen usually fade away towards the end of their careers , Slater just gets stronger. He says 2006 was probably his most consistent season since his first World Championship
He kicked off the year with wins in the Quiksilver Pro on Australia’s Gold Coast and the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach Victoria, Australia. His event stats then read: 3rd in the Billabong Pro Tahiti; 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 2nd in the Billabong Pro Mundaka.
