Kelly has an eye on Olympics

AUSTRALIAN surfers could find themselves competing against a sporting legend and one of the oldest Americans to ever compete at the Olympics when surfing makes its Games debut in Tokyo next year.

Kelly Slater’s campaign for a spot at the Tokyo Games has suddenly got very real with a season-ending injury to John John Florence, a man who had assumed his old mantle of the best surfer in the world.

At the midway point of the men’s world tour – the competition helping determine about half the surfers who will compete in the sport’s Olympic debut next year – Slater is on track to be the oldest member of Team USA in Tokyo in 2020.

The top 10 males and top eight females at the end of the WSL season qualify.

Slater, 47, would be among the oldest ever Americans to compete at an Olympics if he manages to retain his position in the world top 10.

Galen Carter Spencer was 64 when he competed in archery at the 1904 Summer Olympics, winning gold in St Louis.

Carter remains America’s oldest gold medallist.

Slater is currently ranked seventh in the WSL and with leader Florence now out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, is the second-best American behind world No.2 Kolohe Andino.

The 11-time world champion said earlier this year if he found himself in with a shot at Olympic selection he would likely prolong his career beyond his original 2019 deadline.

On current rankings prior to this week’s J-Bay Open world tour event in South Africa, Julian Wilson (eighth) and Ryan Callinan (ninth) would both qualify to compete in Tokyo for Australia along with Sally Fitzgibbons (first) and seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore (third).