Read the original French version here.

 

Forty years separate them. And yet, the 2026 Tahiti Pro told a remarkable tale of two generations: Kelly Slater, the greatest American surfer of all time, and a Polynesian teenager dreaming of writing her own story, Kelia Mehani Gallina.

Kelly Slater, 54: The Last Dance?

Even before the first horn sounded, Kelly Slater was already at the center of every conversation. Retired from full-time competition since 2024 and recently recovering from hip surgery, the King had received a wild card to return to Teahupo’o, one of his favorite waves, where he has won five times. It was an invitation that did not please everyone.

At 54, should Kelly Slater still be given a spot instead of making way for a younger surfer? And the fact that Outerknown, the brand he co-founded, was the title sponsor of the event certainly did nothing to quiet the criticism.

Kelly Slater could have responded with words. Instead, he chose to answer in the water. On the very first day, in huge, unruly Teahupo’o conditions battered by unpredictable winds, Slater posted the highest combined score of the day. Then came the showdown against Gabriel Medina, a three-time world champion. Eleven world titles against three. Yet in 8-to-10-foot waves—roughly 2.5 to 3 meters—Kelly Slater got off to a disastrous start: two massive wipeouts and a board snapped in half.

Then the King woke up.

Two monstrous barrels: 9.73, followed by 9.33. Total: 19.06 out of 20. A few heats later, California’s Griffin Colapinto pushed the bar even higher with a perfect 10 and a combined 19.60 out of 20, the best total of the day.

Slater’s run would ultimately end in the following round against defending champion Jack Robinson of Australia. Hawaii’s Seth Moniz would go on to claim his first-ever Championship Tour victory, defeating Griffin Colapinto in the final.

 

 

The Teahupo’o Legend

Teahupo’o and Kelly Slater share a history unlike any other.

In 2005, on this very wave, Slater became the first surfer in World Tour history to record a “Perfect 20” under the two-wave scoring system: two waves, two 10s, 20 out of 20.

In 1986, when Kelly Slater was exactly the same age Kelia Mehani Gallina is today—14—the kid from Cocoa Beach was already a phenomenon. He was winning amateur competitions across the United States and finished third that year at the World Amateur Championships in England, competing against older surfers. No one could have imagined then that he would go on to win eleven world titles, claim 56 victories on tour and build a career spanning four decades.

Forty years later, on the other side of the Pacific, another 14-year-old surfer is beginning to turn heads.

Kelia Mehani Gallina: Teahupo’o outside her window

For Kelia Mehani Gallina, Teahupo’o isn’t a destination on the World Tour. It’s home.

The young Polynesian lives in the village of Teahupo’o, at the end of the road in Tahiti, facing the legendary wave she can see from her home and has been surfing since the age of three with her Hawaiian father. Her Instagram handle says almost everything: @MissTeahupoo.

In 2025, she had already stunned the surfing world by winning the Trials and qualifying for the Tahiti Pro at just 12 years old, becoming the youngest competitor in Championship Tour history. At the beginning of July, she did it again: another Trials victory, another wild card and another date with the best female surfers on the planet.

This time, however, she wasn’t there just to learn.

On August 10, 2026, Kelia Mehani Gallina celebrated her 14th birthday right in the middle of the competition. And her birthday present came in a rather unusual form: adding a few champions to her list of defeated opponents.

First, Tyler Wright, a two-time world champion. Then Caroline Marks, the 2023 world champion and, most notably, the 2024 Olympic champion—crowned on this very same Teahupo’o wave during the Paris 2024 Games.

Kelia Mehani Gallina ultimately reached the quarterfinals before losing to Israel’s Anat Lelior, who would go on to reach the final herself before falling to Canada’s Erin Brooks.

Not a bad birthday week for Kelia: two world champions eliminated, a quarterfinal appearance at Teahupo’o… and the little dog she had been dreaming of, which she received for her birthday.

The competition in review

Teahupo’o is one of the most spectacular waves in the world—but also one of the most dangerous. Pacific swells rise violently over an extremely shallow coral reef. As the wave hollows out, the ocean appears to drain off the reef before tons of water come crashing down onto it.

Magnificent when viewed from the boats. A lot less so when you’re underneath it.

The 2026 edition proved it once again: unpredictable weather, shifting winds, spectacular wipeouts and, according to the tally given during the WSL live broadcast at the end of the competition, no fewer than 33 broken boards!

The irony of this event is that Kelly Slater’s 19.06 would remain higher than Seth Moniz’s combined score in the final. But Teahupo’o doesn’t reward an entire week—or a legend. You have to win every heat.

The Championship Tour now heads to Cloudbreak in Fiji, from August 25 to September 4, 2026, before making its way to California for the Trestles Pro, from September 11 to 20.

That stop at Lower Trestles will carry particular significance: in 2028, this very wave in San Clemente will host the Olympic surfing events at the Los Angeles Games.

Le Petit Journal will be there! And Kelia Mehani Gallina? She’ll only be 15. You can probably see where we’re going with this…

F.P.