THE Paris 2024 Olympic Games They are only on the fourth day of the finals and have yet to enter the heart of the athletics competitions, but already they could have their own symbolic photo.
That's what Time magazine thinks, which defined it “the image that defines the triumph of the 2024 Summer Games” while for Australian News.com it could even “to be the greatest sports photo of all time!”
We are talking about the incredible photo of the French photographer Jérôme Brouillet which features the Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina who celebrates his score of 9.9, just released, by “flying” the index towards the sky one of the biggest waves of the day in Tahiti. Behind him the table that echoes his pose. So incredible that some online commentators wrongly thought he had been “retouched”.
It's all true, said Brouillet. to AFP: “All the photographers were waiting for this moment. We know that Medina, especially in Teahupo'o, is going to embark on something special.“The hard thing is knowing when and seizing the moment. And he did: “I think when he was in it, he knew he was in one of the biggest waves of the day. He jumped out of the water as if to say, 'Man, I think that's a 10.'”.
Gabriel Medina posted the image on his Instagram page, attracting millions of likes in just a few hours.
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The French photographer would be surprised by the attention the photo has attracted and almost shields himself from praise: “It wasn't difficult to take the picture. It was more about anticipating when and where Gabriel would leave the wave.
Speaking to TIME, Jérôme Brouillet explained the context: There are two media boats that film the surfing events that take place in the waters off Tahiti: “To be honest, if all the conditions are right – weather, waves, light, if the person carrying the boat is in the right position and you know how to use the camera – you can get some good surf footage at Teahupo'o.” He adds: “Everything else is a matter of experience, timing and a little luck!” This differentiates a good shot from a great shot.”
The luck in this case comes from the fact that Brouillet took only four photos of the moment which could become the icon of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
