When Kelly Slater decides to hang up his wetsuit, he will go down as the greatest competitive surfer to ever step foot in the ocean.
Heading into his 29th year as a professional, Slater has achieved every individual accolade the sport has to offer.
However, the 11-time world champion isn't committed to calling it quits just yet, with the chance of a new prize on the horizon.
"Olympic qualification is on my mind," Slater told the Herald on Sunday. "There is a chance I could retire at the end of this year, at least from full-time competition, but if it looks like, or if I feel like I'm going to make the Olympics, I'll probably end up trying to do that next year." Now 47, Florida-born Slater has remained coy on confirming any retirement plans in recent years. Although he's missing time due to injury, his performances have shown he's still more than up to competing with the younger athletes in the field.
However, regardless of how well he's performing, Slater knows there will come a day when his body tells him it's time to move on.
