How many times have we seen this before? Kelly Slater, with moments left in a heat, finds the wave in a sea of uncertainty and slams home the win. That’s the way of the GOAT. Something that’s earned him 11 world titles. And just two weeks shy of his fiftieth birthday, he did it again when he found a gem against Barron Mamiya to win their heat in the round of 16 yesterday at the Pipeline Pro.
Mamiya, who’ll be a Pipeline favorite for years to come, actually had Slater comboed and in a serious situation. But the GOAT was able to chip away at his lead, and needing a score of 7.18 with seconds left, found a 9.23 to take the heat win. Afterwards, he looked more than elated, actually getting emotional when talking to Rosie Hodge. It’s as if he may finally be looking at the end. With one more event in Hawaii (Sunset) before the Australian leg, where Mr. Slater may or may not be able to compete, we might be looking at his final Pipe event. But we’ve all said that before.
