Alternates for surfing's Olympic debut have been confirmed by the International Surfing Association, with eleven-time World Champion Kelly Slater officially cleared to compete in Tokyo if a member of the USA Men's team is unable to participate.
Both of Team USA's male athletes are currently recovering from injuries that required surgery, though John John Florence and Kolohe Andino have both recently posted updates showing they're making solid progress to be ready for the games. Still, in the unfortunate event that either of these two Championship Tour stars are unable to make it to Tokyo, Slater is in.
Slater narrowly missed out of provisional qualification at the end of the 2019 WSL CT season, and if the 49 year old was to compete in Tokyo it would mean one of the most successful athletes of all time would be competing on sport's biggest stage.
Meanwhile, Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti is listed as an alternate for South Africa's Jordy Smith -- who is also recovering from an injury -- as well as Japan's Kanoa Igarashi and France's Jeremy Flores and Michel Bourez. Bourez is sitting out the upcoming Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe with a neck injury.
Lakey Peterson is the Team USA Women's alternate - WSL / Cait Miers
CT stars Lakey Peterson and Nikki Van Dijk have been officially confirmed as the alternates for USA and Australia respectively. Peterson sat out of the four-event Australian leg of the Championship Tour with a back injury, and will also remain on the sidelines during the next CT event at the Surf Ranch.
For a full list of alternates as well as a breakdown of how the places are allocated, see the ISA website.
Slater Among Alternates Named For Surfing's Olympic Debut By International Surfing Association
Ben Collins
Alternates for surfing's Olympic debut have been confirmed by the International Surfing Association, with eleven-time World Champion Kelly Slater officially cleared to compete in Tokyo if a member of the USA Men's team is unable to participate.
Both of Team USA's male athletes are currently recovering from injuries that required surgery, though John John Florence and Kolohe Andino have both recently posted updates showing they're making solid progress to be ready for the games. Still, in the unfortunate event that either of these two Championship Tour stars are unable to make it to Tokyo, Slater is in.
Slater narrowly missed out of provisional qualification at the end of the 2019 WSL CT season, and if the 49 year old was to compete in Tokyo it would mean one of the most successful athletes of all time would be competing on sport's biggest stage.
Meanwhile, Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti is listed as an alternate for South Africa's Jordy Smith -- who is also recovering from an injury -- as well as Japan's Kanoa Igarashi and France's Jeremy Flores and Michel Bourez. Bourez is sitting out the upcoming Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe with a neck injury.
CT stars Lakey Peterson and Nikki Van Dijk have been officially confirmed as the alternates for USA and Australia respectively. Peterson sat out of the four-event Australian leg of the Championship Tour with a back injury, and will also remain on the sidelines during the next CT event at the Surf Ranch.
For a full list of alternates as well as a breakdown of how the places are allocated, see the ISA website.
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