The best photographs from Paris Olympics 2024 and the stories behind them
A surfer soaring above the clouds, a BMX champion riding up the Concorde obelisk... photographers reveal how they captured these
A surfer soaring above the clouds, a BMX champion riding up the Concorde obelisk... photographers reveal how they captured these iconic images.
Published on Aug 13, 2024 09:02 AM IST 12 Photos
1/12
US' Simone Biles (silver), Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (gold) and US' Jordan Chiles (bronze) pose during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's floor exercise event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris. AFP photographer Gabriel Bouys described it as "a super classy gesture" and the symbol of sisterhood quickly went viral. "I saw the Americans talking to each other before the medal ceremony, I suspected that something was going to happen and I decided to broaden the scope", he said. "I'm not the one making the photo, they are. It was a super nice moment," he said, adding that it reflected the overall atmosphere of the Games.
2/12
A unique setting, careful positioning and a huge dose of luck was the recipe for the image of BMX champion Jose Torres Gil seeming to cycle up the side of the obelisk on the Place de la Concorde. Jeff Pachoud took it during training on July 29, two days before the Argentinian won gold. "It wasn't just one click, it was a burst and in that, there was an image which gave this amazing visual impression," he said.
3/12
It's one of the most widely used images from the Games: Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina seemingly levitating above the waves, finger to the sky, surfboard vertically behind him. The shot was taken at Teahupo'o in French Polynesia on July 29 by Jérôme Brouillet from a boat in a nearby channel.The deeper, calmer area of water is away from the bigger waves, blocking any clear view of the surfing action and Brouillet said he was "blind" up to the last second.
4/12
It was the last major title missing from his career: on August 4, Novak Djokovic took Olympic gold by defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. Photographer Patricia de Melo Moreira was there to snap the moment he completed the so-called "Golden Slam" of titles and the usually stoic champion marked it with a roar of emotion. She had been placed until the last moment on Alcaraz's side.
5/12