Earlier this week, a stunning photo was shared online of a Brazilian surfer striking a pose — while seemingly floating in mid-air.
Source: Jérôme Brouillet via The Guardian
The 30-year-old surfer Gabriel Medina was competing in Round 3 of the surfing Olympic event in Tahiti, French Polynesia when the shot was taken.
The viral photo was taken on 29 July (Monday), according to The Guardian.
Taking place around 16,000km away from Paris — where most of this year’s games are hosted — the surfing competition was in its third round as Medina took on Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi.
The Japanese surfer had outperformed Medina at the previous Olympic Games hosted in Tokyo, when surfing made its debut as a medalled event.
However, this time, Medina did not let his competitor best him.
The three-time world champion put on a stunning performance, enough to earn him a 9.9 out of 10 — setting the highest score in the sport’s young Olympic history.
After his performance, Medina then struck the now-iconic pose. Nearby, Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Jérôme Brouillet prepared himself to capture the moment.
According to AFP, Brouillet was far from the initial action when the event began. But the experienced Tahiti-based photographer knew this was exactly where he wanted to be.
“Every photographer is waiting for that,” Brouillet told AFP. The photographer also knew the sport well, even saying that Medina would do something special.
When he saw Medina in one of the biggest waves of the day, he sat patiently in wait for the surfer to emerge.
With how beautifully he performed, Medina might’ve thought he was getting a 10, Brouillet also speculated.
This then led to him celebrating, pointing towards the sky as he exited the waves.
Seeing the pose, Brouillet quickly snapped the photos. The photos were automatically sent to his editors, and the image quickly went viral.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said he was shocked by how popular the shot was.
Despite the iconic photograph that was described by TIME magazine as the “defining image of triumph of the 2024 Summer Games”, Brouillet remained humble and focused on the task ahead.
“I got the shot of the day, I was with six talented photographers on the boat and for sure everyone will forget about it next week,” said the photographer.
“Tomorrow won’t be any different.”
Also read: When do Team S’pore athletes compete at Paris Olympics 2024? Here’s the complete schedule
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Featured image adapted from Jérôme Brouillet via The Guardian.
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