The biggest threat to Kelly Slater’s 12th ASP World Title
Kelly Slater may have 11 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Titles proudly sitting on his mantelpiece at home, but the 40-year-old American legend has made his hunger for another title evident during the latest season of the elite tour.
The going had never been easy for the Florida-based surfer since he got incepted in the elite ranks, facing one phenom after another while making history. The likes of late Andy Irons and Mick Fanning found themselves pushed against the wall on numerous
occasions during their clash with arguably the best surfer this world has ever seen to date.
Keeping his intentions of adding another title to his name under wraps until the end, Slater set out to chase the ASP World Title at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in February earlier this year, taking on the world’s top surfing talent and putting on spectacular
performances to reach the Quarter-final. Even though he failed to make the semi-finals, there were hardly any doubts about his solid current form.
The very next event saw the reigning ASP World Champion claiming the top-spot on the ASP World Title Rankings after reaching the final before bowing out to the Australian phenom Fanning in what turned out to be a memorable showdown.
Looking as intimidating as ever, Slater was arguably one of the strongest contenders for the coveted ASP World Title. However, the Floridian surfer was well aware of the fact that good things don’t come easy and thus would have hardly felt any shock at coming
across a tough challenge by Fanning, his countryperson Joel Parkinson, Taj Burrow and Brazil’s Adriano de Souza.
With his victory in Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, the 30-year-old Fanning moved to the highest spot on the ASP World Title Rankings, though for only a short while before losing it to his compatriot Parkinson. The experience of the New South Wales-based surfer
has come into play and kept him in the leading contenders for the coveted ASP World Title, proving from time to time that it takes more than just a handful of tricks in one’s arsenal to defeat him.
The 31-year-old Parkinson, on the other hand, is the current frontrunner for the ASP World Title. Getting off to a solid start this season, the 2011 ASP World Runner-Up plans to go all the way this year. The road is a bumpy one, but the Australian sensation
seems quite prepared to tackle whatever challenges are thrown in his direction. Despite holding the No.1 spot in the title rankings, Parkinson is not taking anything for granted.
“The big difference this year is that there are a whole bunch of guys who’ve put their hands up in the ratings and there are some new guys in there like Kerrzy [Josh Kerr] and John John [Florence] who really add a new flavor to it,” Parkinson said. “You
could throw a blanket over the Top 10 at the moment it’s that close, so leading the ratings right now doesn’t mean too much.”
Brazilian powerhouse Adriano de Souza is not expected to sit quiet in the coming months either. Reaching the final at the very first stop of the season in Australia and managing to hold on to the momentum in the following events to make it occupy the fourth
place on the rankings, De Souza has made it obvious that the likes of Slater, Fanning and Parkinson do not scare him. He knew what he had signed up for when he had set out on a quest for the most prestigious honours in the sport and thus he is well prepared
to take down the very best in order to accomplish his goal.
Fanning, Parkinson and De Souza are just a few of the names that Slater will have to worry about this season. Others like Josh Kerr from Australia and ASP World Tour rookie John John Florence from Hawaii also present a huge threat to the reigning champion’s
successful title defence.
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