Photographer Captures Gabriel Medina's Record-Breaking Ride at Olympics

Photographer Captures Iconic Shot of Olympic Surfer's Record-Breaking Ride

NPR is in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. For more of our coverage from the games, head to our latest updates.

AFP photographer Jerome Brouillet embarked on the third day of the Olympic Games’ surfing competition in Tahiti, unaware that he would capture one of the Games' most memorable moments.

During the fifth heat of the day, Brazilian three-time world champion Gabriel Medina conquered a massive wave, earning an almost perfect score of 9.90 — an Olympic record. Positioned on a boat at the edge of the action, Brouillet captured the now-viral photograph as Medina emerged triumphantly from the wave.

In the image, Medina, having just exited the barrel of a daunting wave, raises his arm skyward, with his index finger pointed upward. His surfboard, attached to his ankle, soars through the air, perfectly parallel to Medina in that fleeting instant Brouillet captured.

“I like to say that taking pictures is a bit like surfing. It’s a mix of preparation, devotion, timing, some experience, and a touch of luck,” Brouillet wrote in an Instagram post featuring the photo.

Brouillet sensed something extraordinary as Medina entered one of the day’s largest waves. From his boat alongside other media members, he wasn't sure what he would capture but managed to snap four frames of Medina celebrating his run.

"Sometimes he makes an acrobatic gesture and this time he did that and so I pushed the button," Brouillet told AFP.

The photo has since gone viral; Medina shared it on Instagram, where it has garnered over 5.7 million likes.

Brouillet's ability to capture this moment isn't surprising. The photographer, a surfer himself, moved to Tahiti about a decade ago and has worked for AFP for several years, according to Time.

“That day, Gabriel was in the water at the right place, at the right time, and so was I,” Brouillet wrote on Instagram.

The surfing events of the Paris Games have been held off the coast of Teahupo’o, a village on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. Known for its heavy, powerful waves breaking over a large but shallow reef, Teahupo’o has both terrified and attracted top surfers for decades. “It's one of the most beautiful and dangerous waves in the world,” pro big-wave surfer Garrett Mc