Cover photo WSL/Bielmann

The greatest surfer in history, Kelly Slater, has given an important clue about his retirement plans: “If I make it to the Olympics, I will retire at the Olympics,” he told the British newspaper The Guardian.

“I really want to qualify but I have to get active. The qualification process is going to be tough but if I can get into the Olympics, the venue for the event is Tahiti, that wave really suits my strengths so if I can get there I have a good chance of winning a medal. But I think the hardest part is going to be getting there, to be honest,” Slater said.

“As a kid, my goal was to win events on tour and potentially become a world champion. That was the highest I could go in surfing. With the sport entering the Olympics, it offered another goal to be achieved,” he concluded.

Slater can qualify for Paris 2024 if he is one of two U.S. surfers in the CT qualifying zone. Currently, John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto are occupying that spot.

The other way to qualify for Paris 2024 is for the US men's team to win the 2024 World Surfing Games, earning an extra slot, and for their federation to invite them to participate in the games.