a surfer who flies over the water

What is perhaps the best depiction of the Games? It has nothing to do with the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine or the impressive Olympic venues erected in Paris. 15,000 kilometers from the French capital, in Tahiti, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina rode a wave with his index finger raised in victory as his board chased him.Photographer Jerome Brouillet captured the moment for Getty Images, instantly making it an iconic image.

Medina, in addition to starring in perhaps the best look of the Games, also received an impressive 9.90 during the fifth leg of the men’s surfing event, which took place in Tahiti on Monday.. This is the best result for an individual wave in the third round among men and in a record in the history of the Olympic Gameswhere surfing debuted three years ago in Tokyo.

The 30-year-old Brazilian has become a celebrity in his country thanks to his three world titles (2014, 2018 and 2021).

He also has 18 WSL Championship Tour wins, 31 finals appearances, and his wave-attacking style has made him one of the most original surfers in history, the first to do certain moves.

Medina He started surfing at the age of four and won his first national championship in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 11.At 15, he became the youngest surfer to win a major qualifying series. At 17, he was already among the elite of the World Surf League Tour.

Now in his 30s, he has reached full professional and personal maturity after recently reconnecting with his biological father, with whom he had had no contact for two decades.