Kelly Slater barely advances to the next round of Telstra Drug Aware Pro
The first round of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime Rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro wrapped up on Wednesday, 6th April, at the Margaret River in Western Australia. After quite an unexpected performance against a rather unknown
line-up, the 10-time ASP World Champion from USA, Kelly Slater, barely managed to make it to the next round.
Slater was making a highly anticipated comeback to Margaret River this year for the competition. He had last competed at Telstra Drug Aware Pro in 1993 and left with bitter memories. A lot of hype had been created over his return to the contest this year
and whether he would be able to get rid of the haunting past once and for all.
The media focused most of their attention on him during the opening press launch of the event a couple of days. The way he had responded to the questions thrown at him during the launch clearly showed his confidence irrespective of his past experience.
However, Slater neither seemed confident nor too comfortable during his heat on Wednesday. His competition was comprised of relatively unknown surfers, namely Billy Stairmand from New Zealand, Gony Zubizarreta from Spain and David do Carmo from Brazil.
The 39-year-old American pulled off two quick rights early in his heat but failed to earn a score above five. While his competitors jumped past him on the score, he struggled to find a good wave to score a six in order to secure his place in the next round.
After 25 minutes of patience and trailing in third place, Slater finally got the wave he was waiting for. He exhibited his trademark style and exceptional skills to earn the highest score of the heat. His total score of 12.36 after two waves allowed him
to advance to the Round of 48.
In response to a journalist who asked whether he had any doubts about progressing to the next round after such a disappointing start, Slater said, “There wasn’t a lot of waves and there was some hassling going down. It’s tricky with 4 guys fighting for 2
wave sets. I wasn’t too worried though, I just needed a wave. I only needed a six and if I can’t get a six on an open faced wave I shouldn’t be here.”
Regardless of the way the heat went, the organizers and fans of Slater will be feeling relieved now that he is through to the next round. However, the contest only gets more intense from here on, now that he’ll be up against a tougher competition.
Former World Champion from Australia, Mick Fanning, also managed to prevail in his heat, which kicked off right after Slater’s heat. While the American legend was seen to be struggling for most of his 30-minute heat to score a six, Fanning’s very first wave
earned him a score of nine.
Slater may have been outshined by some of the surfers in the first round of the Telstra Drug Aware Pro, but the next round is expected to be a completely different story. The 12-feet plus surf expected to hit the Margaret River region within the next 24-hours
is sure to make the upcoming battle even more exciting.
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