The photographer Jerome Brouillet knew he was in for something special when he saw the Brazilian Olympic surfer Gabriel Medina catching one of the biggest waves of the day in the midst of one of the world’s most powerful breaks. He couldn’t have imagined that his photo of Medina emerging from the wave, which earned him an Olympic record in Tahiti on Monday, would become a worldwide sensation and likely an iconic image of the sport and the Paris 2024 Games.
The 30-year-old photographer was on a boat in the Teahupo’o channel in French Polynesia, in an area of deeper, calmer waters, beside the wave but without a clear line of sight. He was, however, exactly where he needed to be. What he captured was one of the most striking images of the Olympic Games to date: Medina rising above the surf with one finger pointing skyward and his surfboard at his side, pointing upward.
The Best of the Games
The image has been used by dozens of publications worldwide and has been shared or liked on social media tens of thousands of times since it was first published on Monday night. Even the three-time Brazilian world champion shared it on his Instagram profile, followed by more than 11.8 million users, accompanied by a biblical caption: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
TIME magazine described it as “the defining image of the triumph of the 2024 Summer Games.” The New York Times called it “one of the most iconic photos of the Paris Games,” and the Spanish sports newspaper Marca dubbed it the “best photo of the Games.” Brazil’s Globo Esporte portal, where the photo has caused a stir, considered it “possibly the most iconic of the Paris Olympics so far.”
“You know that Gabriel Medina, especially at Teahupo’o, is going to do something big,” Brouillet said. “All the photographers expect it. The only tricky part is knowing where it’s going to happen.” Medina, 30, is famous for his explosive aerial maneuvers, where he often launches his board and himself into the air at breakneck speed.
Brouillet was waiting for him when the Paulista dropped into the sea and went deep into the barrel, scoring an Olympic record of 9.90 and advancing to the quarterfinals. “Sometimes he does acrobatic gestures. This time he did, and then I pressed the camera button,” said the photographer.
The Celebration Will Have to Wait
Medina’s reaction instantly showed that he knew how good his performance had been. Brouillet also suspected that he had captured something special. “I took four photos of him out of the water, and this was one of the four,” he said. The photograph is so spectacular and even somewhat surreal that some social media users mistakenly thought it was a montage.
“At first, I thought, ‘This photo is great,’ but then people started talking about it… I wasn’t aware of how viral the shot had gone.” Despite the accolades, Brouillet said that celebrations would have to wait, as he still has the rest of the competition to cover. “I’m staying at a friend’s house near Teahupo’o, and we’ll have a quiet night because if the event happens tomorrow, I have to get up at five in the morning!”
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