Viral Gabriel Medina Image Wins World Sports Photo Awards

The Paris 2024 Olympics was an historic event for surfing. Held some 10,000 miles away from the host city of Paris, the surfing portion of the Games went down at Teahupo’o, Tahiti. And the host venue did not disappoint; despite a few smaller days, the contest was graced with epic Chopes conditions, bordering on terrifying at times. But the thing the world will remember most? Not a wave ridden, but rather, a kickout from Brazil’s Gabriel Medina, captured by Jerome Brouillet.

Ironic that surfing went viral for an image featuring no actual surfing.

And that image just won the World Sports Photography Awards, amidst a field of “24 winning images across sports categories including American Football, Basketball, Cycling, Gymnastics, Extreme Sports and Football.” And per Sophie Collins, Chief Marketing Officer at MPB said, “As a judge and sponsor of the ‘World Sports Photography Awards,’ I am once again inspired by the extraordinary talent and creativity showcased in this year’s entries. Sports photography holds a unique power to freeze dynamic action and evoke profound emotion in a single frame, capturing stories that transcend the boundaries of the playing field. It’s been thrilling to see the innovation and passion from this year’s participants, setting a remarkable standard for the years to come.”

The image comes from Day Three of competition at Teahupo’o, definitely the scariest and deadliest day of the event. It shows Medina, kicking out from the wave, as seen from the back, floating through the air, his board silhouetting his body next to him, and his finger pointed to the sky.

During that day of competition, Medina told SURFER:

“I think it’s the most dangerous Olympic sport, for sure. It’s so dangerous out there. It’s super shallow. Luckily, I didn’t hit the reef on the one where I fell. When the waves are like this, when it’s super hollow, it’s super shallow. There’s some really solid waves out there. But we love it.”

Since then, this is what the world will imagine when they think of surfing – for better or worse.