Wednesday, 06 May 2026

    Kelly Slater

    • Contest: The US Athletics Hall of Fame - Athletes 2026
    • Embed from Getty Images
    • Sport(s): Surfing
    • Statistics & Accolades: 56 World Championship Tour Wins
      11 World Surf League Championships (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 & 2011)
      3 Triple Crown of Surfing Championships (1995, 1998 & 2019)
      Member of the Surfers Hall of Fame
      4 Laureas World Sports Awards
      Laureas Lifetime Achievement Award
    • There are times when you can debate who the GOAT of a sport is and come up with different answers.
      There is only one answer in Surfing, and that man is Kelly Slater.
      An 11-time World Surf League Champion, Slater won his first world title in 1992 at age 20, making him the youngest champion in history. Slater dominated the 1990s with an unprecedented run of five straight titles from 1994 to 1998. Throughout his career, he has amassed 56 Championship Tour wins and is celebrated for his tactical genius, particularly his mastery of dangerous reef breaks like Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, where he has won the prestigious Pipeline Masters eight times. 
      Slater’s longevity is perhaps his most remarkable feat, as he eventually became the oldest world champion at age 39 in 2011. Even as he approached 50, he continued to compete at an elite level, securing a historic win at Pipeline in 2022, just days before his 50th birthday. He also owns four Laureus World Sports Awards.

      We are proud to nominate Kelly Slater for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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