Surf legend Kelly Slater still aiming for another world title at 47

Surf legend Kelly Slater says that even at age 47 his best surfing is still ahead of him and he’s set his sights on yet another world title.

Update: He’s done and won just about everything in surfing but an evergreen Kelly Slater says he still has a big point to prove and it’s what is keeping him in the competitive game.

The 11-time world surfing champion loves nothing more than a challenge - bar proving his critics wrong - and is adamant that at age 47 his best surfing is still ahead of him.

He also wants to show the sporting world that growing older isn’t a death knell for a professional sporting career.

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“It’s a little about the challenge of the Olympics and also the challenge of seeing if I can get into the world title talk this year, especially after being a bit rusty for the better part of two years,” said Slater of his motivation ahead of the 2019 world tour after a series of injuries the past two seasons.

“When I was 30 the magazines and the surf world started to write me off, thinking I was too old because I retired when I was 26 and came back when I was like 29 or 30.

“There was talk that I wasn’t part of the best five or six surfers in the world , blah blah, and that really kind of fired me up. I proceeded to win five more world titles after that until I was 39.

US surfer Kelly Slater had some early success at Manly. Picture: AAP

“My bigger picture in terms of sport is that people don’t expect anyone in an action sport or performance sport like this to win, even win competitions, especially a world title at 47-years-old, so that would be a huge thing, not only for me personally but also in the world of sport, to challenge myself to try and accomplish that.”

Kelly Slater with fans at Manly beach on Wednesday. Picture. Phil Hillyard

On Wednesday Slater kicked off part one of his grand plan to defy the odds, the numbers on his birth certificate and around 30 of the best surfers on the planet to win a record 12th world crown - and potentially a spot at next year’s Olympic Games - with his first competitive surf of the year at the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro.

Kelly Slater at Manly on Wednesday. The surf legend remains as competitive as ever. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Slater was first up in the heat but didn’t take control until the final 10 minutes, claiming the heat win from Spain’s Vincente Romero’s to the delight of thousands of spectators.

While Slater said while he studies the moves and manoeuvres of young surfers for inspiration, he is surprised they aren’t beating him.

“I feel like a bit of a gatekeeper,” he said.

“You guys should be smoking me here and I’m still beating you. You should be putting me out to pasture.”

Slater is expected to surf again on Thursday afternoon in round three against Surfest winner Alex Ribeiro, world tour surfer Jesse Mendes and Frenchman Charly Quivront.