Surfing-Kelly Slater at 50 waxes up for another world title battle

Kelly Slater, the world's best surfer, nearly called time on one of the most storied careers in sporting history after his eighth and best win at the famed Pipeline Pro in Hawaii last week, saying that at times he hated what he had dedicated his life to.

Instead, as he turns 50 on Friday, Slater confirmed he is preparing to again battle for a record 12th World Championship title, 32 years after turning pro.

"When I got my last wave in this (Pipeline) contest and I finished it, I said to myself, 'It's done, all this stuff is done, (I'm) done with it'," Slater told Reuters.

"Because there's just such a release of the pressure, when you're competing at a high level, when you're competing with the guys who are the next generation, and the next generation, and the next generation, for years and years," he said.

"Look, I know a lot of people's lives are a lot harder than mine is, but those moments are so exhilarating but so much pressure at one time, it's hard to contain it and to process it."

At a post-final interview at Pipeline, after defeating a surfer half his age, an emotional Slater said he loved his surfing life, but also conceded "I've hated lots of it".

MOMENTUM GENERATION

It is hard to overstate Slater's contribution to surfing. He became its youngest world champion at 20 in 1992 and its oldest at 39 in 2011, and now has a record 56 World Tour victories, drawing comparisons with sporting greats like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

With his "Momentum Generation" peers, Slater redefined the sport in the 1990s, bringing a new era of explosive, fast-paced surfing with radical new aerial manoeuvres and deep, technical tube riding.

Slater also rode waves of fame as professional surfing's popularity exploded at that time.

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