Whaaa-BOOM!

 
That heavy thud you just heard was the door slamming shut on the World Championship aspirations of 43 of the top 44 WCT surfers. Kelly Slater is the slammer, now standing alone on one side of the door—World Champ for the 9th time—and 43 very talented but very frustrated surfers are on the other, probably muttering in disbelief "How can anyone be that good?"

With today's Round 3 heat victory at the Billabong Pro in Spain, Slater locked up enough points for World Title Number 9, a feat so unique and seemingly impossible, that his rivals don't know whether to drench him in beer or drown him in the shorebreak. As his performances this season have illustrated, he is still, at age 36, a competitive juggernaut. Overstatement? Hardly. The numbers draw a complete picture.

• Legendary WCT surfers Martin Potter, Occy, and Sunny Garcia have only managed one World Title each in their respective and celebrated careers. 
• Slater claimed his first crown in 1992, his sophomore year on tour, at age 20. He was the youngest ever to win the title.
• He skipped a beat in '93, then stacked up an incredible five in a row, from '94 to '98. Had he stopped there, the 'Greatest Surfer In History' hallmark was already upon him.
• He enjoyed semi-retirement from '99 to '02 and dated supermodels, while the rest of the WCT exhaled in relief and scrambled to fill the void.
• Slater rejoined the tour in '03, during Andy Irons ascension to 3X champ, and reasserted himself as king with his 7th and 8th titles in '05 and '06. 
• His 7th title in '05 made him the youngest AND oldest surfer (at age 34) to win a World Championship.
• He holds more individual event titles (39) and has earned more prize money—over $1.7 million written out on big, cardboard checks—than any other surfer in history.
• He has surpassed every competitive landmark formerly held by Tom Curren (3X World Champ and the previous 'Greatest Surfer Of All Time'). 
• In 14 years on tour, he has never finished a season ranked lower than 6th in the world.
• He is also the record 5 time Pipeline Masters Champion, with wins in '92 '94 '95 '96, and '99, and 2X Triple Crown Champion.
• In 2008, he has claimed a staggering 5 event titles and the crown. He is currently the second oldest surfer on tour. 

The names he is often likened to tell a story as well: Roger Federer. Tony Hawk. Tiger Woods. Michael Jordan. Lance Armstrong. 

Kelly Slater. The King. Again.

Last thing... rumor has it that if he can manage a 10th title, Quiksilver will bonus him $10 million.