John John Florence has the youth. Kelly Slater gets the nod in experience. And they both have loads of surfing talent.
These rivals and friends — apart in age by 20 years — are preparing for quite a showdown in the upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters.
In one way, this billing is the side highlight of the World Surf League’s season-ending contest. After all, the 2019 world champion will be determined there, but neither Florence nor Slater will be that year-end trophy winner.
But in another way, Kelly vs. John John is the main story line. That’s because an Olympic spot for the U.S. team is on the line. In Tokyo in 2020, surfing will be an Olympic sport for the first time, so whoever gets in will carry that honor for the rest of their lives.
Previously, one man and two women sewed up three of the four U.S. Olympic roster positions — Kolohe Andino of San Clemente, Calif., Carissa Moore of Honolulu and Caroline Marks of Melbourne Beach, Fla. They did it by finishing the year as one of the two top Americans in the WSL rankings.
So now it’s down to Florence vs. Slater at Pipeline for that one more seat at the table. They may not go against each other head to head in the contest that began Sunday and runs through Dec. 20, but if they do, expect to see everything they’ve got to give.
On one side, you’ve got Slater, who is 47 years old and the owner of 11 world championships, and the only other thing you need to know about him is what’s written to start out his WSL bio: “Kelly Slater is the greatest surfer of all-time.”
Like Tom Brady’s claim to GOATness, Slater as the best ever can be debated, but the statistics are there to back it up. Nobody comes close to his 55 world championship tour victories.
On the other side, you’ve got Florence, who is 27 and the winner of two world titles and who is considered — along with Brazil’s Gabriel Medina — to be at the tippity top of the list in their chosen craft in this day and age.
A quick glance at WSL contest archives shows Slater with a 6-3 edge in head-to-head heats against Florence, including what is considered one of the most epic bouts in the sport’s history. That happened in the semifinals at Teahupoo, Tahiti, in 2014. In 10-foot, gargantuan barrels, they tied 19.77 to 19.77, with Slater winning the tiebreaker due to the highest-scoring scoring one wave — a 10.00.
In an Uproxx.com article, this is what Hawaii former pro surfer Ross Williams said about it: “OK … let’s just make the craziest heat we can make, right now, in the craziest waves … and that’s what you would’ve chosen. You would’ve picked 10-foot, glassy Teahupoo, and you would have chosen John John Florence versus Kelly Slater.”
In 2013, Slater also denied Florence a victory in a memorable Billabong Pipe Masters final, 16.37 to 15.90.
Slater has been hot lately, finishing seventh in the Hawaiian Pro last month. He has had a steady year, with one third-place finish, one fifth and five ninths on the championship tour to get up to No. 10 in the rankings.
Florence, who has been surfing to get ready for Pipe, has not been in a competition since winning the Margaret River Pro in Australia in June. He’s recovering from a knee injury for the second time in two years.
Florence was on fire to start 2019, winning the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in April and picking up a third-place finish in another one of the four tour events he entered. Those results have him ranked No. 8 — two spots ahead of Slater where he wants to remain — despite missing five straight tour contests.
So, it will all come down to who has the upper hand — who can finish higher at Pipeline and in the all-important WSL rankings — for Slater and Florence. Only one will have a shot at 2020 Olympic gold.
KELLY SLATER
Hometown: Cocoa Beach, Fla.
Birthdate: Feb. 11, 1972
Age: 47
Height: 5 feet 9
Weight: 175 pounds
World championships: 11
World tour wins: 55
Pipe Masters wins: 7
Triple Crown titles: 2
Volcom Pipe Pro wins: 2
First world tour event: 1989
The Eddie wins: 1 (2002)
JOHN JOHN FLORENCE
Hometown: Haleiwa
Birthdate: Oct. 18, 1992
Age: 27
Height: 6 feet 2
Weight: 174 pounds
World championships: 2
World tour wins: 7
Pipe Masters wins: 0
Triple Crown titles: 2
Volcom Pipe Pro wins: 4
First world tour event: 2008
The Eddie wins: 1 (2016)
SLATER VS. FLORENCE (HEAD TO HEAD)
2016 Billabong Pro Tahiti final: Slater 19.67, Florence 15.23
2015 Volcom Pipe Pro final: Florence 17.63, Slater 9.00
2014 Billabong Pro Tahiti semifinal: Slater 19.77, Florence 19.77*
2014 Hurley Pro at Trestles semifinal: Florence 15.10, Slater 14.10
2013 Billabong Pipe Masters final: Slater 16.37, Florence 15.90
2013 Volcom Fiji Pro semfinals: Slater 18.17, Florence 14.00
2011 Pipe Masters quarterfinal: Slater 17.53, Florence 16.70
2011 Pipe Masters fourth round: Florence 17.67, Slater 8.50
2010 Pipe Masters third round: Slater 16.90, Florence 14.23
* – Slater won via tiebreaker with a 10.00 single wave score.
