King Kelly on Top of World

And what was he doing before the heat that propelled him into international sports history by being the only human to hold 10 world titles (in any sport, as far as I know)?

Scrabble. He was playing Scrabble.

Yes, appropriate. At the age of 38, he should be playing Scrabble. I mean, he is virtually a toppie! A bullet headed ballie pushing 40 has just won his 10th world title?

WTF? It's crazy. It's madness. How can someone so old continue to be such an outrageous freak in the water? Like an aquatic chameleon, Kelly just keeps up with the times. Rodeo clown? Yeah, I can do that. Sushi Roll. Uh huh.

Sorry Jordy bru. You did us proud. This was a fantastic year for South African surfing, and you almost scooped the big prize, almost. But what a way to be part of history. The guy is old enough to be your dad. Your time is coming. The new generation is right on the cusp. The inevitabily was delayed for yet another year.

Rumours have it that Kelly is in fact an alien sent to earth to torment talented professional surfers, who have had to endure 18 years of his unfair dominance since 1990 when he won his first title at the age of 20.

Andy Irons managed to forcibly wrest the crown from Kelly's steely green-eyed grip for three years between 2002 and 2004, with similar cameos by Mick Fanning and others, but it's pretty much been the Kelly show. Ten world titles in 18 years signifies incredible dominance.

Wow. Kow tow King Kelly.

King Kelly Quick Facts

• Irish and Syrian ancestory
• Starred as Jimmy Slade in TV show Baywatch, early 90s
• Avid golfer with a +2 handicap
• Fishes for fun
• Has dated Pamela Anderson, Gisele Bundchen and Cameron Diaz
• He has a daughter named Taylor
• Plays the guitar and started a band called The Surfers with Peter King and Rob Machado
• His autobiography, Pipe Dreams: A Surfer's Journey, was released in 2003
• Favorite spots: Sandspit (California), Pipeline, Miramar (Argentina), Kirra (Australia), J-Bay, Taghazout (Morocco), Soup Bowls (Barbados), Sebastian Inlet (Florida)
• He has won 45 elite tour events

From the official press release

With his advancement out of the Quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico over Adriano de Souza (BRA), 23, Slater amassed enough points to move out of reach remaining contender Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, and collect the 2010 ASP World Title, culminating a 20-year effort.

In the end, Slater was up against Bede Durbedge (AUS) in the final where Slater kept the lead for the entire heat, sealing the deal with a perfect 10 point ride which included a no grab 360 reverse arial. With 12 minutes remaining on the clock, Durbede found himself in a combination situation where he could not deliver the 18.78 to take the lead.

“I don’t know, it just happened,” Slater said. “If you look at the heat, Adriano (De Souza) passed one up and let me have it and that was a good wave and that was pretty much it a few minutes into the heat. I just want to send my condolences to the Irons family. It’s been a week of extremes for me. If it wasn’t for Andy (Irons) there is no way I’d be here in this position right now. I don’t really know what else to say, I’m a little overwhelmed right now. I want to dedicate this to Andy and to my family.”

Andy Irons (HAW), 32, former three-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World Tour competitor, tragically passed away last Tuesday in transit back home from Puerto Rico. The iconic Hawaiian’s unexpected passing has been a devastating blow to the international sporting community.

“I had the 3rd at Teahupoo and Jordy got the 17th, at the time I really wanted to win that event and pull into the lead, but having Andy (Irons) win that contest was really special,” Slater said. “I surfed a last heat with him this year and to get past everybody at Trestles, I know the level is pretty much going through the roof every year.

The stuff that Dane (Reynolds) and Jordy (Smith) pull off at every event, everyone is trying to catch on and their strike rate is so high, their consistency is so high. When I got into the lead after Trestles, I didn’t really feel that confident going into France. It was a wave-catching contest at first, but then it got big and I thought ‘this is my zone, this is where I do well and this is what I love.’ The points all started coming together just right for me. To get past Jordy (Smith) in the Final in Portugal, I knew something special was happening.”

2010 ASP World Tour Results

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: Equal 9th
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: WIN
Billabong Santa Catarina Pro: Runner-UP
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay: Equal 17th
Billabong Pro Tahiti: Equal 3rd
Hurley Pro at Trestles: WIN
Quiksilver Pro France: Runner-Up
Rip Curl Pro Portugal: WIN
Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico: WIN
Billabong Pipeline Masters: TBD

“I decided to go for 10 (ASP World Titles) when a friend asked me if I’d decided to win 10 yet after a few contests into this year,” Slater said. “I told him ‘yeah, okay.’ That was right before Brazil. At that point I knew I could do it, but Taj (Burrow) looked good to start the year, but to me it looked like Jordy (Smith) was the guy early on. Mick (Fanning) had a lot of ninths and he knows he’s not going to win a title with ninths. Besides Jordy’s 17th, his worst result was the Quarters, so I knew there was no room for error. These last five events have really come together. I don’t really know how it came together the way it did.”

Slater, who spent a large portion of his youth in Puerto Rico, had a huge support crew of family and friends on hand to witness the incredible feat as well as the support of the tens of thousands in attendance on the beach.

“It’s nice to win this in Puerto Rico with my friends and family here,” Slater said. “I haven’t been surfing here on this part of the island since ’88 and I used to come here a lot. This was like a second home to me. It was like my little Hawaii. I used to come here in the winter and I have a lot of good friends from here. It’s the closest event ever to my home, so it feels like home.”