Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina has won the internet thanks to his awe-inspiring Olympic performance and an impossible viral photo. First, Medina scored a near-perfect 9.90 during the third round of Olympic men’s surfing on Monday. According to NBC News, that’s the “highest single-wave score in the sport’s Olympic history.” Then, a photo of Medina apparently floating above the ocean, his board still strapped to his ankle but far from under him, went viral.

The image looks downright impossible, but the photographer who took the photo, Jerome Brouillet, explains how he captured it (no photoshop involved).

“On July 29, 2024, at 6:23 am, arriving on the spot by boat, we knew it would be a great Olympic surfing day,” wrote Brouillet on an Instagram post sharing the viral photo. “At 9:30:31 am, Gabriel Medina take off [sic] on the best wave of the day for a perfect ride. At 9:30:38 am, he jumps out of the wave with a celebration that spread immediately all around the world. 10 minutes later, my mobile starts beeping. It still hasn’t stopped.”

In fact, Medina knew he’d caught a perfect wave. He came out of that glorious barrel holding up 10 fingers, as if to say, “that was a 10.” Judges gave him a 9.90, but everybody who saw it agreed with the 30-year-old Brazilian surfer. In celebration of the moment, Medina leapt from his surfboard, pointing a number-one finger up into the air.

Brouillet snapped a photo from the exact right spot at the exact right moment.

“That day, Gabriel was in the water at the right place, at the right time, and so was I,” the French sports photographer said.

See the viral Gabriel Medina photo here:

Olympic Surfing Finals Updates

Though the 2024 Olympic Games are taking place in Paris, France, the surfing competition is at Teahupo’o on the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti. The men completed their third round on Monday, but a storm postponed the women’s third round until today, Wednesday, July 31.

Semifinals and medal finals are currently scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, August 1. Get the latest updates here.

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