- Surfer on cloud seven: photographer manages spectacular photo of the Olympics
It seems to stand in the clouds, one arm triumphantly raised to the sky, the surfboard upright behind it: A photo of Brazilian surfing star Gabriel Medina on Tahiti, captured by AFP photographer Jérôme Brouillet, is already considered an icon of this year's Olympic Games. Brouillet only pressed the shutter four times as Medina emerged from the monster wave and posed in the air.
"I don't like series photos, then I'm left with 5000 photos in the evening," said Brouillet, who took the photo from a nearby fishing boat. He had luck on his side, pressing the shutter at the right moment. As long as the surfer is still inside the wave, the photographer can't see him.
Brouillet's photo spread worldwide in just a few hours, sparking great enthusiasm. "This could be the best sports photo of all time," declared the Australian portal News.com.au on its Facebook page. The magazine "Time" described the photo as "the defining triumphant image of the 2024 Summer Games." Medina published the image on Instagram, where it was liked millions of times.
The Photographer is a Surfer Himself
"Every photographer waits for something like this," said Brouillet. He expected Medina to emerge from the wave and something to happen. "The tricky part is not knowing where he will do it," said the 39-year-old Brouillet, who is a surfer himself and has lived on Tahiti for ten years.
As soon as he pressed the shutter, Brouillet felt he had captured a special moment, although he wasn't sure. "At first, I thought: pretty cool." But when his phone suddenly stopped ringing and his follower count on Instagram exploded, Brouillet knew: "This is big."
Brouillet spent ten hours on a fishing boat on Monday - and the fraction of a second was decisive for an image that will be etched in many memories.
Brouillet's captivating photo of Medina on Tahiti has been hailed as a potential contender for the best sports photo of all time, with "Time" magazine calling it "the defining triumphant image of the 2024 Summer Games." As a surfing enthusiast living on Tahiti for over a decade, Brouillet had a unique understanding of Medina's talents and the challenges of capturing the perfect moment during the Olympic Games.
