It was a celebration worthy of the ages — or at least viral fame.
Surfer Gabriel Medina was taking on Kanoa Igarashi, the man who beat him at the Tokyo Olympics and eventually won silver, and he was looking to turn the tide this time around.
The Brazilian not only managed to take down the Japanese surfer, he did so in part thanks to a near-perfect 9.90-scoring wave on Day 3 of the surfing competition in Tahiti – taking part halfway around the world from Paris. It was the highest score in Olympic history.
The resultant jubilation produced another moment of perfection: Medina leapt from his surfboard, raised his finger aloft and his board just managed to fly parallel to him as photographer Jerome Brouillet from Agence France-Presse snapped the shot.
The remarkable picture has spread across social media with Brazilians celebrating their surfer’s progress into the final eight of the competition, including Real Madrid and Seleção forward Rodrygo.
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