Even at the grand old age of 54, the evergreen Kelly Slater’s mastery of surfing appears to know no bounds. Slater, who is still regarded as one of the best barrel riders in the world, has won the notoriously treacherous event five times before. And in Medina, himself a three-time world champion and two-time winner of the Tahiti Pro – including victory over Slater in the 2014 final – he was faced with a tough opponent. I knew going against [Medina], he’s just so savvy as a competitor,” Slater said. View image in fullscreen Kelly Slater in the water at Teahupo’o.