Kelly Slater at last year's Rip Curl Pro. - WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
Kelly Slater, 11x WSL World Champion, has formally withdrawn from the second event of the 2018 WSL Championship Tour season, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, due to an ongoing foot injury sustained in July at the Corona Open J-Bay.
Slater, who broke his foot during a freesurf, has undergone a few surgeries to get back into competing form. Unfortunately the injury has not fully healed prompting the Florida native to take some precautionary steps. He also had to withdraw from the first event of the season, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, last week.
Kelly Slater stayed busy during his Round One heat at Winkipop to earn an easy win.
"I think it's best that I properly rehabilitate the injury and choose to surf wholeheartedly. I'll be back when the time is right," Slater said.
South African surfer Michael February will replace Slater at Bells where he will face standouts Filipe Toledo and Griffin Colapinto in Round One.
February will become an official Championship Tour (CT) member after the Rip Curl Pro -- due to Mick Fanning's retirement. The 17-year-veteran will be competing for the last time at this year's Bells Beach event, making the Margaret River Pro February's first event as a CT member. But, due to Slater's injury, February has started his season earlier than expected -- surfing as a replacement for the first two events of the season. Despite the recent shakeup, the South African was able to keep composure and eliminate former Gold Coast winner Matt Wilkinson at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast last week, making a name for himself prior to his cemented arrival.
"It's a weird way to get on the CT -- it's cheesy, but I guess everything happens for a reason," said February.
The upsets just kept coming Tuesday at the Quik Pro Gold Coast, as the newly minted Tour member took down the former Snapper winner.
The 23-year-old finished the Qualifying Series (QS) at No.15 last year, just barely outside the qualification cutoff.
"With the possibility of me being a part of this Tour for the year, I want to look at all these matchups and improve," he said. "I think the year's going to be full of a lot of learning."
Watch Michael February and the rest of the men's and women's WSL Championship Tour live daily when they compete next at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, from March 28 - April 8.
Slater Withdraws from Bells, February Steps in as Replacement
WSL
Kelly Slater, 11x WSL World Champion, has formally withdrawn from the second event of the 2018 WSL Championship Tour season, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, due to an ongoing foot injury sustained in July at the Corona Open J-Bay.
Slater, who broke his foot during a freesurf, has undergone a few surgeries to get back into competing form. Unfortunately the injury has not fully healed prompting the Florida native to take some precautionary steps. He also had to withdraw from the first event of the season, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, last week.
"I think it's best that I properly rehabilitate the injury and choose to surf wholeheartedly. I'll be back when the time is right," Slater said.
South African surfer Michael February will replace Slater at Bells where he will face standouts Filipe Toledo and Griffin Colapinto in Round One.
February will become an official Championship Tour (CT) member after the Rip Curl Pro -- due to Mick Fanning's retirement. The 17-year-veteran will be competing for the last time at this year's Bells Beach event, making the Margaret River Pro February's first event as a CT member. But, due to Slater's injury, February has started his season earlier than expected -- surfing as a replacement for the first two events of the season. Despite the recent shakeup, the South African was able to keep composure and eliminate former Gold Coast winner Matt Wilkinson at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast last week, making a name for himself prior to his cemented arrival.
"It's a weird way to get on the CT -- it's cheesy, but I guess everything happens for a reason," said February.
The 23-year-old finished the Qualifying Series (QS) at No.15 last year, just barely outside the qualification cutoff.
"With the possibility of me being a part of this Tour for the year, I want to look at all these matchups and improve," he said. "I think the year's going to be full of a lot of learning."
Watch Michael February and the rest of the men's and women's WSL Championship Tour live daily when they compete next at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, from March 28 - April 8.
Kelly Slater
In the dying moments of his Round of 32 clash, the GOAT Kelly Slater dug deep in his bag of tricks for a Carving 360 in an attempt to earn
11x World Champ Kelly Slater, catches up with AJ McCord after escaping Elimination Round and weighs in on how he plans to tackle Sunset.
Check every 9 since 2018 as we gear up for a return to the North Shore at the Lexus Pipe Pro presented by Yeti. Featuring Kelly Slater,
Former CT surfers Caroline Sarran and Tim Boal add their footprint and their name to the prestigious Anglet Surf Avenue alongside the likes
Kelly Slater's dominant, competitive career at Teahupo'o adds another notch toward a historic eighth Final appearance and sixth victory at
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
Citing an ongoing injury and the upcoming birth of a child, the pair withdrew and will be replaced by Xavier Huxtable and Reef Heazlewood.
Australian legend Mick Fanning has emotional retirement and Steph Gilmore eyes a fourth Bells trophy.
No event on the WSL elite tour has a richer history than Bells. Come see why.
After six weeks Down Under, how is the 2018 Championship Tour shaping up?
How favorites crumbled and rookies rumbled, and what it means for the Margaret River Pro.