The image, captured by Jérôme Broulet for Agence France-Presse, shows the Medina and its tethered board making parallel movements over the South Pacific Ocean. The photo is not a scene of calmness, but Medina uses his right hand to raise his index finger and say, “No. 1″ gesture while in the air.
Medina, 30, a three-time World Surf League champion, had good reason to declare his dominance. He fell into the barrel of his career and came out on the other side, not only in pitch black, but with all his fingers raised up so that the judges could award him a perfect 10. Some of them did, and Medina came out with a 9.90. He set a new Olympic record for a single wave run.
Medina then rode the storm and triumphantly swept it behind her. Broulette was ready, having photographed the Brazilian star in a similar pose in the past.
“I wasn’t surprised by it, I was prepared,” the 39-year-old photographer, who has been shooting surfing and other sports for most of the decade, said in a phone interview Monday evening. “Me and the other photographers on the boat thought he was going to have a ball.
“So I pushed the button,” he added with a laugh.
Brouillet’s photo, taken just before Medina fell into the water, also worked well. Spread by a Paris-based news agency and Getty Images, the laudatory posts quickly picked up steam online, turning into countless re-shares. The French-born Broulet used strong English to discuss his work during the Olympics and how it went viral.
“I took it. [out] My phone and I had a lot of notifications about Instagram and stuff like that. I just clicked and saw a lot of followers following me,” he said with a laugh. “So I thought something was going on, and first I saw a post from Brazil shot, and then it goes – I don’t know how to say it in English – by whirlAnd then… it goes viral. Amazing, amazing. “…
When asked if he was surprised by the reaction to the photo, Broulet replied, “I never thought this shot would get so much attention, but I understand why.” … Alignment of Gabriel and the board – Some have tried to say it’s photoshopped, but no, Gabriel and the board are lined up just like this, with the rope connecting the two. [elements]He said.
As for Medina, his record-setting ride propelled him to a winning all-around time of 17.40, well ahead of 2021 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi of Japan. The third-round result puts Medina in the quarter-finals against compatriot Joao Chianca on Tuesday.
Monday’s Medina match proved to be an interesting venue with conditions in Teahupoo offering some “heavy waves” before the weather worsened before reaching the third round of the competition. The women’s competition had to be postponed.
“I never thought we’d get waves like this at the Olympics,” Medina said Reuters). “I’m comfortable when the tide is good and as long as it’s like that, it’s good for everybody. Today was definitely a good day.
It was a good day for Brouillet, who sat in a boat with six other photographers near the action. He said he didn’t know Medina personally, but even if he did, they would have gotten into a conversation about the photo they created together.
“Like me, he had no idea this beat would go around the world like this,” Broulet said. “For him, it was like he always went out into the waves and I was just shooting him like I was going to do it.”
“So,” he continued, “I was like, ‘Okay, good shot. I’ll send it to the editor.’ And then, an hour later, it’s ‘Wow’. The storm.