On a remote reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina gave Olympic viewers one of the most memorable sights of the Games ever with an incredibly spectacular aerial celebration.
The Brazilian surfer rode a thunderous wave at Tea Aupo in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrel section and soaring into the air, seemingly perched on a cloud over the Pacific Ocean — a movement precisely mirrored by his surfboard as he pointed skyward with biblical serenity.
“The conditions were perfect and the waves were higher than expected,” said AFP photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who took the picture from a nearby boat and captured the surreal image so accurately that some initially suspected it was the work of Photoshop or AI.
“he [Medina] “He was behind the wave and I couldn't see him, then all of a sudden he came out and I took four pictures and this is one of them,” Brouillet said.
“Taking the photo wasn't the hardest thing. It was more about predicting when Gabriel would make the wave.”
But Brouillet had the knowledge and experience: He could see the best wave of the day approaching and knew that Medina often celebrated like this at the end of a wave.
The image was sent automatically from the camera to editors, and the response was immediate, but Brouillé admits he was “a little shocked” by it: “I was checking my phone during a six-minute break after filming and I saw a bunch of notifications on social media, so I knew something was happening with this shot. It had been shared on ESPN, and I was like, 'Wow.'”
“It's a really cool, nice shot and a lot of people like it. It's not a surfing photo so it gets more attention from more people.”
Three-time world champion Medina touted a perfect wave score of 10 for his upward surfing but had to settle for the highest Olympic score ever of 9.9. In a subsequent Instagram post, the Christian surfer shared his praise, quoting Paul from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
To the photographer, the aesthetic appeal was in the deceptive quality of the look: Medina appears to be standing on the ground, the rope at his feet suspiciously horizontal, the board perfectly mimicking his posture.
Others praised Brouillet's perfect timing, despite the fast shutter speed needed to capture a clear image on a moving boat in choppy seas.
For Brouillé, the striking image was enjoyable, but he leaves it to others to decide whether it has lasting appeal.
“I got the best shots of the day. I was with six talented photographers on the boat, but next week they'll all be forgotten. Tomorrow will be no different.”
Medina was out when the waves came in the third round, easily beating Kanoa Igarashi with a combined score of 17.40 out of 20 from two waves, avenging his loss to the Japanese surfer at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Medina will face fellow Brazilian Joao Quiangco in the quarterfinals.
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The eye-catching image will help raise the profile of surfing at the Olympic Games, which will take place for the second time since the inaugural event in 2021.
