Kelly Slater Wins Record 10th Surfing World Title

Kelly Slater set a record with his 10th ASP world title Saturday at the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico by mathematically eliminating world No. 2 Jordy Smith.

Slater, who won his first title in 1992, now is the youngest and oldest surfer to emerge victorious with a world title. He also holds a record 44 world-tour wins.

A surfing legend, Slater advanced out of his quarterfinal heat against Brazil's Adriano De Souza to oust Smith and win his first world title since 2008.

"This is the closest world tour event we've ever had to where I grew up, and there are a lot of familiar faces and old friends here. It's been 25 years since I first came here, and it's nice to have so much support around me for this," Slater, a native of Cocoa Beach, Fla., told ESPN.

"I'm just really relieved right now. It's not one maneuver or one wave, it's a year-long thing. I'm so tired of worrying about my boards, my food and everything. This comes as such a relief."

There had been much speculation that Slater did not have motivation to chase a 10th title. It didn't help that Slater, 38, started slow this year with a ninth-place finish at Quiksilver Pro, after which it was unclear if he would be able to turn it around or even wanted to do so.

However, Slater turned the tides by winning the year's second event in Australia, then proceeded to rip off four consecutive impressive finishes -- third, first, second and first -- heading into Puerto Rico.

Slater's win comes at a somber time in the surf world, which is mourning the death of 32-year-old Andy Irons, who was found dead Tuesday in his hotel room in Dallas. The cause of Irons' death is unclear, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported the cause as dengue fever. Since then, however, Irons' death is being investigated as a possible overdose.

After returning from a hiatus from the sport in 2001, Slater began an intense rivalry with Irons. ESPN described their battles as "the stuff of legend."

Slater started his surfing career nearly 20 years ago, winning the aforementioned first title at 20 and earning six titles by 1998.