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We’re only four days into the Olympics but has the gold medal for the best photo of Paris 2024 already been won?
Captured by photographer Jerome Brouillet of AFP (Agence France-Presse), the stunning shot of surfer Gabriel Medina broke the internet - just moments after the Brazilian set an Olympics record with an incredible 9.90 score on the giant two-metre waves in Tahiti.
In the picture, Medina appears to be hovering in the air, with his arm pointed to the sky, as he throws away his board to celebrate his record surf - which came on the infamous Teahupo’o break in French Polynesia.
It looks photoshopped, but it’s not. Sensationally, the striking image reflected Medina’s near-perfect performance on the waves known as the “Wall of Skulls” in Tahiti. It’s almost biblical, as if Medina is ascending to a higher dimension,
Brouillet was positioned on a boat to take the shot, managing to stay steady on deck. He anticipated Medina could record a high score and was ready for a celebration, snapping four pictures before taking a look at his camera to see the results.
He told The Guardian he was a “little bit shocked” by what he captured, freezing a moment so perfectly that Medina, his subject, appeared to be suspended from the sky, his board trailing behind him.
Brouillet said: “He [Medina] is at the back of the wave and I can’t see him and then he pops up and I took four pictures and one of them was this one.
“It was not hard to take the picture. It was more about anticipating the moment and where Gabriel will kick off the wave.”
Medina is a three-time world champion and his score on the wave was the highest in Olympics history.
“I never imagined we could get waves like this in the Olympics,” said Medina. “I’m comfortable when the waves are good and as long as it’s like this, it’s good for everyone ... Today was a good day for sure.”
The photo of his winning moment, though, was even better.
Was it the best photo of the Olympics so far? Here are some other contenders.
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— Pietro Marazzato (@PietroMarazzato) July 27, 2024
Japan’s Kazuma Kaya, Shinnosuke Oka, Takaaki Sugino and Wataru Tanigawa celebrate after teammate Daiki Hashimoto turned heartache into joy as he overcame a fall to power Japan to the gold medal. More photos from #Paris2024: https://t.co/7u9cAe01n3 📷 Athit Perawongmetha pic.twitter.com/BA5MUeYIC8
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) July 29, 2024
Steve Tomasin of the U.S. and Rodrigo Isgro of Argentina swap shorts after their Rugby Sevens match. More photos from the #Paris2024 Olympics: https://t.co/k29urGatbn 📷 Phil Noble pic.twitter.com/9gcoTm2J31
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) July 27, 2024
The Eiffel Tower is lit up during the opening ceremony of the #Paris2024 Olympics https://t.co/YSaWjTIfuc 📷 Pawel Kopczynski pic.twitter.com/sJWYfsMK0D
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) July 26, 2024
