Is he flying? A shot of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina has gone viral--and rightfully so. He did this while making history at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
As far as the Olympic Games go, surfing is quite young, having debuted just three years ago in Tokyo.
Thus, its history is still in the formative stage.
Accordingly, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina left his mark on the sport's history books with a ride for the ages, posting a single-wave score of 9.90 —the largest in the history of the Olympics.
What followed is a snap by photographer Jerome Brouillet that had everyone talking.
In what looks like an optical illusion, Medina appears to be standing on a cloud with an arm outstretched, his finger raised and feet elevated far above the waves. The Brazilian appears to be walking on air, or ascending to the heavens depending on how you look at it.
Medina’s near-perfect showing in heat 5 propelled the three-time world champion to the quarterfinals of the men’s surfing event.
The 30-year-old backed that historic feat with a 7.50 in his next ride for a total score of 17.40, more than enough to finish off Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Kanoa Igarashi of Japan who tallied a 7.04 outing.
Medina has won 18 events on the WSL Championship Tour and aims for a better finish in Paris 2024 after a fourth-place campaign in Tokyo 2020 and he will face fellow compatriot Joao Chianca next.
Surfers are competing nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, which is designated as an overseas country of France and marks the farthest distance from a host city an Olympic event has ever been held.
Story Summary:
- Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina made history with a remarkable single-wave score of 9.90, the highest in Olympic surfing history, during Paris 2024.
- Medina's performance, captured in a stunning photo by Jerome Brouillet, showcased an optical illusion where he appeared to be standing on a cloud, propelling him to the quarterfinals with a total score of 17.40.
- The three-time world champion, aiming to improve on his fourth-place finish from Tokyo 2020, will face compatriot Joao Chianca in the next round, with the surfing competition taking place in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, nearly 10,000 miles from Paris.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]