French photographer Jerome Brouillet anticipated capturing a stunning moment when he witnessed Brazilian Olympic surfer Gabriel Medina taking on one of the largest waves of the day at a renowned surf break.
Little did he expect that his photograph of Medina emerging from the wave after achieving a record-breaking Olympics score in Tahiti would receive worldwide attention, potentially solidifying itself as an iconic representation of the sport and the Games.
Brouillet, who was exactly where he wanted to be to take the shot, said, “You know something is going to happen. Every photographer is waiting for that. You know Gabriel Medina will kick off and do something. The only tricky moment is when he is going to kick out.”
Brouillet saw Medina flying straight above the waves, pointing one finger in the sky with his surfboard held skyward at his side. He suspected he had also captured something special but wasn’t sure.
“I got four shots of him out of the water and one of the four shots was this photo.”
Numerous publications worldwide have used the image, which has garnered millions of shares and likes on various online platforms.
TIME magazine described it as “the defining image of triumph of the 2024 Summer Games“.
Medina shared the picture on his personal Instagram profile and promptly received over 2.4 million likes. Even though he received praise, Brouillet mentioned that they would have to postpone celebrations as he still needed to complete the rest of the competition
“I’m sleeping at a friend’s house near Teahupo’o and we’ll have a quiet one because if tomorrow the event is on, I have to wake up at five in the morning!”