Brazilian former world champion Gabriel Medina wowed the surfing world Monday with a spectacular tube ride that he seemed to self-score even before he kicked out: “10,” he indicated with his hands.
Close.
The ride got 9.90, the highest single-wave score in surfing's short history as an Olympic event.
Video of the performance tells the story, but a single frame of Medina’s flight above the lip after he kicked out, his right hand pointed to the sky, index finger leading the way, reflects a moment of brilliance like only a still shot can.
French action sports photographer Jerome Brouillet captured the image for Agence France-Presse, and a day later it is already the subject of reports on how it was shot.
Brouillet said it was an easy shot so long as multiple shifting conditions aligned as he worked aboard a media boat bobbing and changing position in the Pacific.
"If all conditions are met — weather, waves, light, if the boat driver is in the right position, and if you know how to use your camera — you can take good images of surfing in Teahupo'o," he told Time magazine. “All the rest is experience, timing, and a bit of luck."
Organizers’ decision to hold the Olympic event at the Tahitian break surprised many because it can be deadly, and injuries, usually caused by contact with its sharp and shallow reef, are a given. Its power can be godly, as vertical wave height doesn’t begin to encompass the left-riding vortex’s weight; the Pacific Ocean seems to fold in on itself at the break. It’s also the venue most distant from a host city: Teahupo’o is 9,765 miles from Paris.
Medina was a little less technical, explaining his ride more in metaphysical terms.
“Today was a dreamy day for surfing,” he said afterward, the wave propelling him to the men’s quarterfinals. “I never imagined that we could get waves like this in the Olympics.”
Tuesday's competition was called off amid poor, "code red" conditions, a term usually used to describe extremely dangerous waves that can be ridden only with the help of jet-ski propulsion, if at all.
Organizers planned to update the surfing schedule, which includes the men's and women's quarterfinals through the medal rounds, later Tuesday.
