There are pictures from the 2024 Paris Olympics, and then there's the photo of a surfer that is just ... well, different. And frankly, pretty amazing. So yeah, it's making the rounds on social media.
It was captured by Agence France-Presse photographer Jerome Brouillet and is of Brazillian surfer Gabriel Medina during the competition in Tahiti.
Per the New York Post:
"While competing against Japan's Kanoa Igarashi, Medina posted a close-to-perfect score of 9.90 — which is the highest-scoring wave in the history of the Games, according to CNN."
Multiple others have shared the shot, including no less than eyewear giant Oakley. "Gabriel Medina leaves us with one of the greatest Olympic shots!" the company posted to X.
Aura. Gabriel Medina leaves us with one of the greatest Olympic shots! #TeamOakley #Paris2024 (in Tahiti) pic.twitter.com/Mh6rgKBWRX
— Oakley (@oakley) July 30, 2024
Brouillet snapped the shot at the very moment in which Medina, 30, celebrated the victory.
"The waves were taller than we expected," Brouillet told The Guardian. "... It was not hard to take the picture. It was more about anticipating the moment and where Gabriel will kick off the wave."
Medina has shared the image on his own Instagram page.
"Felt amazing to get some good waves and I almost got a 10, so I was really happy with that. It's really a dream come true to compete in waves like this for the Olympics. It was really in my dream and I'm realizing this today and I'm very happy to be a part of this," Medina told olympics.com.
Medina has won three world championships but has yet to medal in the Olympics. He advanced to the quarterfinals, where he will face fellow Brazillian Joao Chianca.
