An amazing photo of champion Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina — celebrating after a wave — has captivated and tricked the imagination of the world.
Competing at Teahupo’o, the 30-yerar-old Medina was snapped floating in the air following his incredible run in the third round at the Olympics.
His score of 9.90 score during the fifth heat, was the best score for an individual wave in the round, and has sent him into the quarter-finals.
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But the photo by snapper Jerome Brouillet was what had everyone talking.
In what looks like an optical illusion, Medina appears to be standing on a cloud.
His arm is raised, he points to the sky, and his surfboard floats behind him, also pointing to the heavens.
It is a jaw-dropping image, and when it was shared by The Bleacher Report on social media, fans could not quite believe what they were seeing.
“This shot of Gabriel Medina is ABSOLUTELY UNREAL,” the Bleacher Report said.
And fans were quick to react, with many suggesting it was photoshopped.
“How was this done?” one person asked.
“Wait what…” said another.
“You know the picture is elite when people calling it fake,” another said.
Another suggested: “He’s leaning on this transparent board.”
“Floating,” said another.
And another: “Damn that’s crazy it .. .looks fake.”
And another: “Some will say it’s photoshopped.”
The believers, however, called: “Picture of the year.”
“I’ve heard of walking on sunshine and walking on water, but walking on air is ridiculous,” another person mused.
Medina, a three-time world champ, is obviously on the hunt for an Olympic gold medal.
But Australian Jack Robinson is also in the mix after he sent world No.1 John John Florence home after their round-of-16 clash.
In deteriorating conditions that forced the women’s heats to be abandoned on Tuesday (AEST), Ethan Ewing joined Robinson in advancing to set up an all-Aussie quarter final.
A storm system south of French Polynesia, hosting the surfing for this year’s Olympics, made for terrifying surfing in Teahupo’o.
The wildness elevated the blockbuster Robinson-Florence heat between the World Surf League’s (WSL) number one and three ranked surfers.
In noticeably bigger surf than previous days, neither were able to put a meaningful score on the board in the first half of their 30-minute heat.
Chasing a score, Robinson and Florence both disappeared into the wash and required rescuing from jetskis within seconds of each other.
Robinson stood tall after dicing with the reef, plunging into a barrel to score 7.17 in a decisive ride.
A second score took the Western Australian out of reach of Florence, the two-time world champion, eventually winning 13.94 against the Hawaiian’s 9.07.
The result was a repeat of the 26-year-old’s win from April’s Margaret River Pro.
Shortly after Robinson’s progression, Ewing joined him after defeating Australian-born Connor O’Leary, representing Japan.
Their heat resembled a battle to survive in the barrels, with both men taking all manner of tumbles, including one cringe-inducing face plant by O’Leary.
Wave selection was paramount and Ewing did best: scoring an 8.67 with a deep run to defeat O’Leary 14.17 to 11.00.
Earlier, Joao Chianca triumphed in one of the greatest heats in the two Olympics of the sport’s history, defeating Morocco’s Ramzi Boukhiam 18.10 to 17.80.
Chianca’s reward is an all-Brazilian quarter-final with Medina.
There will be three quarter-finals pitting compatriots against each other, with Tahitian Kauli Vaast, representing France, against Joan Duru.
The final quarter-final will see Peru’s Alonso Correa take on Brazil’s Reo Inaba, who progressed with a score of just 6.00.
With the women’s round three postponed and worsening conditions forecast for Wednesday (AEST), the surfing appears certain to be kicked into reserve days.
– With AAP
