photo: © Jerome Brouillet - Golden Moment
Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina is captured in an impressive moment where athlete, action and photography come together. This photo, taken by Tahiti-based French photographer Jérôme Brouillet during the third day of the surfing event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia, won the top prize at this year's World Sports Photography Awards.
The photo is one of twenty-four winning images in various sporting categories, including American football, baseball, equestrian, golf, racquet sports and soccer. In total, more than 2,200 professional sports photographers from 96 countries submitted more than 13,000 photos to this year's competition.
The World Sports Photography Awards are the only international awards specifically aimed at sports photography. The competition brings together the best sports photographers and has their work judged by an expert jury of professionals from the sports, media, photography and creative industries.
The aim of the awards is to recognize and appreciate exceptional sports images and the photographers behind them. The photos highlight the emotion, passion, physical performance and concentration that characterize sports.
Sophie Collins, Chief Marketing Officer at MPB, said: "It's inspiring to see the talent and creativity shown by this year's entries. Sports photography has the ability to bring action and emotion together in one image, capturing stories that extend beyond the moment itself. This year's entries have reached an exceptionally high standard."
The full gallery of winning images, including the top ten in each sports category, can be viewed on the World Sports Photography Awards website.
Also read: World Sports Photography Awards Winners 2026
