By Justin Chadwick
Eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater faces an uncertain future after becoming the most high-profile victim of the World Surf League championship tour’s mid-season cut.
Slater needed to beat Australian Liam O’Brien in their third-round battle at the Margaret River Pro on Saturday to have any hope of surviving the cut.
Slater is out of the Margaret River Pro.Credit: World Surf League
Only the top 22 men and top 10 women will make the cut that follows the WA event, and Slater entered it in 26th spot.
World No.21 O’Brien, fighting for his own survival, put the heat on Slater by producing a two-wave total of 15.53.
Slater clawed his way back into the contest with a 7.83 ride, and it left him needing a 7.70 to progress.
The 51-year-old took off with 30 seconds remaining in his heat and put together a solid three-manoeuvre ride that had the commentators pondering whether it would be enough.
The judging panel gave Slater a score of 5.77, officially ending his hopes of making the cut.
But it might not be the end of Slater on the WSL main tour – and it’s not even necessarily the end of his title hopes for this year.
With two wildcards on offer for each remaining event, Slater has a window to compete and, unlike last year, accumulate points for those results.
If he is handed regular wildcards he could still amass enough points to surge into the top five and vie for another world title at the end-of-season finals.
Slater can win back his spot on the main tour for next year by either finishing in the top 10 of the second-tier Challenger Series, or receiving a main tour wildcard.
O’Brien thought Slater’s last wave might have been enough to beat him.
“You could hear the whole beach erupt when he finished it off. Luckily I sneaked through,” O’Brien told the WSL broadcast.
“He’s such a good competitor – he’s one of the best to ever do it.”
Earlier, Australian Callum Robson was feeling a sense of relief after surviving the mid-season cut with a series of strong displays.
Robson, who is 14th in the rankings, produced a two-wave total of 12.50 to top his second-round elimination heat against 18-year-old Australian Jarvis Earle (10.76) and Michael Rodrigues (10.57) on Saturday morning.
“It’s nice to get through that heat,” Robson said.
“I’ve found myself in the elimination round the last three events, so to get out of it is pretty nice.”
Robson backed up that display by defeating fellow Australian Jackson Baker in a tight battle to secure a spot in the round of 16 and a spot in the remaining five events on tour.
Baker wasn’t so lucky, while Costa Rica’s Carlos Munoz and Rodrigues also failed to make the cut.
“Right now I need a couple of days just to think about everything and reset,” a disappointed Rodrigues said.
“Next year I’ll be back.”
Robson will next take on world No.1 Joao Chianca for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Filipe Toledo, Jordy Smith, Gabriel Medina, Connor O’Leary and Yago Dora were among the others to safely move into the fourth round.
When the women’s event resumes later on Saturday, world No.1 Molly Picklum will be up against American Courtney Conlogue in the round of 16.
AAP
