“Flying” Olympic surfer wins 2025 World Sports Photography Awards

Jan 9, 2025

Dunja Djudjic

Tahiti-based French photographer Jerome Brouillet has been named the winner of the 2024 World Sports Photography Awards. His winning photo is one of those you may remember from the 2024 Olympic Games – it captures Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina “flying” among the clouds.

Brouillet took his breathtaking photo, titled Golden Moment, during Olympic Games in Teahupo’o, French Polynesia. The image was taken during the surfing event’s third day, freezing a moment where athleticism, artistry, and nature unite in stunning harmony. It highlights both the athletic brilliance of Medina and Brouillet’s skill and vision behind the lens. It was one of the photos that marked 2024, that’s for sure.

Petr Slavik was awarded the silver medal, and I find it interesting that his image Heaven has a similar “vibe” to the winning one.

© Petr Slavik/2024 World Sports Photography Awards

The Bronze medal belonged to Anton Anestiev for his dynamic, action-packed image titled Zebra Crossing.

The competition, which celebrates the best in sports photography globally, attracted more than 13,000 submissions from 2,200 photographers spanning 96 countries. There are 24 winning images spanning across categories like American Football, Baseball, Golf, and Equestrian. Like every year, the contest’s goal is to serve as a testament to the storytelling power of photography in capturing the emotion, intensity, and beauty of sports.

As Sophie Collins, Chief Marketing Officer at MPB, noted, “Sports photography holds a unique power to freeze dynamic action and evoke profound emotion in a single frame.” Her remarks underline the magic evident in this year’s winning works, which range from intimate moments of focus to grand displays of passion and movement.

take a look at the category winners below, and make sure to view the full gallery on the contest’s website.

More from World Sports Photography Awards

© Tom Weller/World Sports Photography Awards 2024

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Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.