The greatest surfer in history, Kelly Slater returned to compete in a QS event after more than two years and on the waves of Manly after more than 10 years. He won his heat but had an inspired Spaniard named Vicente Romero breathing down his neck and leading him for half of the heat.

The beach went crazy fifteen minutes before the series, Peruvian Lucca Mesinas shared an Instagram story in which he said that there were not so many people on the beach on any of the three days of the championship.

Romero started quickly taking intermediates and with incredible skill he connected several maneuvers. He added 3,17, then 3,8 and 4,8 to lead at the beginning. Kelly delayed but waited for a good one, after combining a floater and a foam climb and applying some more maneuvers and receiving 5 points.

But then, two right-handers gave him 5,40 and 5,87.

And Romero was not far behind, he surfed the best wave of the series in which he applied several maneuvers and was paid 6,30 which could easily have been more.

Upon exiting the water, his compatriot, Leticia Canales, confronted Vicente with her cell phone and filmed him and asked him: “What is it like to beat her and not be given first place?” Vicente replied: “It’s Kelly Slater, it doesn’t matter” (see video).