Legendary Surfer Kelly Slater Faces Elimination at Lexus Trestles Pro

Stop No. 8 of the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, Trestles Pro in California, is now underway. The men's elimination round is in progress with five heats already completed. The results have been showing a healthy balance of pleasant surprises and disappointment. With four remarkable wildcards — Kelly Slater, Sawyer Lindblad, Dimitri Poulos, and Kirra Pinkerton — having entered the competition, events were bound to get intense.

During the first heat of the men's elimination round, Trestles Pro wildcard Dimitri Poulos was knocked out of the competition with a score of 10.50 after Kanoa Igarashi landed a 13.73. Events didn't play out in Poulos' favor, and things continued to take a disappointing turn for the next wildcard—Kelly Slater.

After Slater announced his grand appearance at Trestles Pro, expectations were set incredibly high for the surf legend. However, his performance was no match for 25-year-old Barron Mamiya of Hawaii. Although Mamiya got off to a rocky start at the beginning of the heat, he ended up posting a 5.87 followed by a 6.10 toward the end of the session. With his strong finish, he defeated Slater, who landed a 4.90 and 5.50 for a combined 10.40, just under Mamiya's 11.97, which advanced him to the next round.

Kelly Slater Defeated by Barron Mamiya During Elimination Round

"I probably could have just paced myself a little better, relaxed on those waves, and at the end, I made a huge mistake," he told the WSL. "I took a wave with priority when I didn't need to, and then one good wave came, and he got it. Good for Barron. A little mistake by me, I was honestly a little bit nervous out there."

Joining Poulos and Slater for elimination was Miguel Pupo, who scored a 6.27—he was unable to catch another wave following his initial score. Coming out on top over Pupo was Joel Vaughan, who posted a 6.00 and a 6.13. Rio Waida and Alejo Muniz have also been eliminated after receiving tight scores.