Perfect photo of near-perfect surfer goes viral at 2024 Olympics

A perfect 10 eluded Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina Monday at the Paris Olympics. But he, his surfboard and a photographer produced something no less extraordinary.

Medina and his surfboard appeared to be levitating a few feet above the ocean water in a celebratory moment during the the round of 16 competition in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.

Later, Medina expressed some disappointment that the judges awarded him a 9.90 rather than a perfect 10 for his best wave of the day.

“I felt like it was a 10,’’ Medina, a three-time world champion, said after winning his heat and advancing to the quarterfinals. “I’ve done a few 10s before and I was like, ‘For sure that’s a 10’. The wave was so perfect.” 

But there was no need to consult the judges about the picture-perfect moment of celebration.

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The photo, taken by Jerome Brouillet, captured the beauty of one of the world’s best but also most dangerous surf spots that resulted in one competitor needing stitches on Saturday.

Brouillet, who works for Agence France-Presse, took the photo from a boat nearby the action.

“So he [Medina] is at the back of the wave and I can’t see him and then he pops up and I took four pictures and one of them was this one,” 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.”

Tuesday's men's and women's competitions were postponed by officials due to the conditions.