Kelly Slater upsets Gabriel Medina at Tahiti Pro, Teahupo’o, Tahiti; advances to next round vs Jack Robinson
Kelly Slater upsets Gabriel Medina at the Tahiti Pro on Paris 2024’s Olympic wave
Kelly Slater upsets Gabriel Medina at the Tahiti Pro on Paris 2024’s Olympic wave
The 54-year-old, an 11-time world champion, romped to a near-perfect score at Teahupo’o and next faces Olympic silver medallist Jack Robinson.
Surfing legend Kelly Slater proved this week he’s still got it .
The 54-year-old American upset Brazilian Gabriel Medina Tuesday (11 August) at the Tahiti Pro, riding to a near perfect score at the site of surfing competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 .
He scored 9.73 and 9.33 for a total of 19.06. Medina, a contender for this year’s world crown, came up short at 16.10.
Slater, an 11-time world champion underwent hip surgery late last year, has won the event five times previously.
“Without pressure, you’ve got no diamonds. It fired me up, and even after all this time, yeah, I have something to prove,” Slater told the Guardian .
Next up is Australia’s Jack Robinson , who took Olympic silver at Paris 2024.
The Tahiti Pro is part of Slater’s return to the sport. Previously, he said he would retire after the Paris Games, for which he did not qualify.
In May, he competed at the 2025 Trestles Pro at the site of surfing competition at the Olympic Games LA28 .
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Picture by Sean M. Haffey