Slater Still Waiting
Kelly Slater (USA) is still waiting to clinch a historic ninth ASP World Title. He had it in his sights but Adrian Buchan (AUS) pipped him 15.73 to 15.16, to take the Quiksilver Pro France, in a tight final held at Les Bourdaines.
Kelly now has to move across the border to Mundaka in the Basque Country of Spain, for the ninth stop of the ASP World Tour, where appropriately, if he finishes ninth or better, he will be declared world champion for the ninth time.
Nine is considered a good number in Chinese culture and is the most exalted number because it sounds the same as the Chinese word for "longlasting". Coincidence?
Labels: 2008, Adrian Buchan, ASP World Tour, France, Kelly Slater, Nine, Spain
He beat Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.97 to 18.63, to claim his third Boost Mobile Pro title at Lower Trestles, California, despite Burrow having scored a 9.00 and 9.63 before the halfway mark in the final and thinking that he had the match sewn up. Slater however is a master at stealing a win right at the end and when Taj passed up on an unpromising wave with less than two minutes to go, Kelly did what he does best.
