This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Surfing legend Kelly Slater will end his glittering career after the 2019 world tour. The 11-times world champion made the announcement at the World Surf League championship at Jeffreys Bay, where he made his return this week after suffering a foot injury in the event last year.

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“My basic plan is to get myself really healthy, again, and get ready for April next year. And next year will be my last year on tour – and just be done with it,” the 46-year-old said during the Corona Open J-Bay broadcast.

Slater made his plans public just a day after Australian surfing star Joel Parkinson announced he will retire from competition.

“I thought it was a great announcement, it kind of inspired me to get my focus on here,” Slater said. “His post was really honest. It felt full of excitement for where he’s going and what he’s doing.”

Slater said the seriousness of his foot injury was initially hard to swallow, but was “pretty minor in the scope of life”.

“I went through my whole career only ever missing a single event at a time from injuries, I never had a long period of time out. To have an injury at this point instead of when I was 22 is a blessing.”

On the same day he announced his pending retirement, 2012 world champion Parkinson defeated World Surf League leader Julian Wilson to advance direct to round three at Jeffreys Bay.



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Parkinson, who will call it quits after the season-ending Pipe Masters, put together a combined score of 10.10 to win his first round heat from countryman Wilson (9.80) and South Africa’s Matthew McGillivray (9.86) at Jeffreys Bay.



It left Wilson in a precarious position as he protects his championship lead. However, he was able to come out and defeat McGillvray in a two-man sudden-death heat to also reach the third round before competition ended on day one.

The 37-year-old Parkinson was the only Australian to win a first-round heat, with the likes of Matt Wilkinson, Owen Wright, Mikey Wright, Adrian Buchan Wade Carmichael and Connor Leary all facing sudden death in round two when the event resumes.



Wilson’s closest championship rival, Felipe Toledo of Brazil, was a convincing winner of his first-round heat over Wilkinson and Brazil’s Wiggolly Dantas.