In a historic moment for Olympic surfing, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina achieved the highest single wave score in the history of the Games with a remarkable 9.90 during the fifth heat on Monday. This feat propelled him into the men’s surfing quarterfinals and resulted in one of the most iconic photos from the Paris Games.
Photographer Jerome Brouillet captured Medina’s euphoric celebration, where both the surfer and his board appear to be levitating above the water. Medina is seen with his right arm raised, proudly signaling a No. 1 with his hand, symbolizing his dominance in the sport.
Despite his record-breaking performance, Medina believed he could have scored even higher. “I felt like it was a 10. I’ve done a few 10s before, and I was like, ‘For sure that’s a 10’. The wave was so perfect,” he expressed.
Reflecting on the challenging conditions, Medina added, “It’s super dangerous out there. When the waves are hollow like this, it’s super shallow. There’s some solid waves out there, but we love it.”
This summer’s Olympic surfing competition is taking place nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris in Tahiti, an overseas territory of France. This location marks the farthest distance from a host city that an Olympic event has ever been held. Surfing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and has been confirmed for the current Games as well as the 2028 Olympics.
The excitement continues on Tuesday with the bronze and gold medal matches scheduled for the evening. Joining Medina in the men’s quarterfinals are Alonso Correa (Peru), Reo Inaba (Japan), Kauli Vaast (France), Joan Duru (France), Joao Chianca (Brazil), Ethan Ewing (Australia), and Jack Robinson (Australia).
related topics:
- What Is A Good Wave Height For Surfing?
- What Muscles Does Surfing Work?
- When And Why Surfing Became An Olympic Sport?