Who Is Gabriel Medina? Why the Brazilian Surfer's Photo Is Going Viral at the 2024 Olympics

Gabriel Medina is making waves.

And it’s not just because of the Brazilian surfer’s record-breaking performance at the 2024 Olympics.

If you’ve been staying on the crest of what’s happening at the Games, then you know Medina was totally stoked about his performance during the third round of men’s surfing on July 29 in Teahupo’o, a village in the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti where the surfers are competing while the rest of the athletes face off in Paris.

In fact, he was so confident in his ride that he predicted his score by holding up 10 fingers as he came out of a huge barrel wave—and he wasn’t far off. The 30-year-old received a 9.90, which according to NBC News, is the highest single-wave score in the sport’s Olympic history (with surfing making its debut at 2020 Tokyo Games).

But this wasn’t the only part of Medina’s surf to make a splash. After exiting the barrel and heading toward the lip of the wave, the athlete soared off his board and appeared to signal No. 1 by pointing his finger towards the sky, with the in-air moment being captured in a now-viral photo taken by Jerome Brouillet.

And he can thank Jerome Brouillet for snapping the picture.

“Touched by grace,” the AFP photographer wrote on Instagram July 30. “I like to say that taking pictures is a bit like surfing. It’s a mix of preparation, devotion, timing, some experience and a touch of luck.”

Needless to say, Brouillet had this winning combination on that day.

“On July 29, 2024, at 6:23 am, arriving on the spot by boat, we knew it would be a great Olympic surfing day,” he continued. “At 9:30:31 am, Gabriel Medina take off 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.”

Now, Brouillet is continuing to ride this wave of excitement.

“10 minutes later, my mobile starts beeping. It still hasn’t stopped..." he added. "That day, Gabriel was in the water at the right place, at the right time, and so was I. Congratulations @gabrielmedina!”

Just like the ocean, Medina’s love of surfing flows deep. He first became involved with the sport at age 8 and won the Rip Curl Grom Search when he was 11—going on to join the WSL Championship Tour at age 17, according to his Olympics.com. Medina later won the World Championships in 2014, 2018 and 2021 and competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he placed fourth.

But in 2022, Medina announced he was withdrawing from the start of that year’s season.

"This time [away] was good for me,” he told Olympics.com. “It's not a secret; talking about mental health is even interesting. I had depression. I started treating myself to a psychologist. I never imagined being in this situation. It's scary; things stop making sense for you. I'm better, happy to be finding myself again. I learned a lot during this time."

Medina returned to the sport later that year but injured his knee at Oi Rio Pro 2022. But even when the tides changed, he continued to strive for greatness—winning the 2023 Western Australia Margaret River Pro.

And while Medina—who drew attention earlier this year when he voiced his opinions about WSL’s judging—wouldn’t turn down an Olympic medal, it’s not the only way he’s defining success.

 “I’ve been through a lot of stuff the past 10 years of my life,” he told Olympics.com. “I won three titles, world titles. So I’ve been dealing with pressure and people talking, the possibilities.”

“I know that I’ve been working really hard for this moment, and I really want to do good here,” Medina added. “But I’m more paying attention of my time in the water because I love being in the water here. I don’t think about results. I don’t think about the others. I just want to surf here because it’s my favorite wave.”

As he awaits his next round of competition, keep reading to relive more candid Olympic moments.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family).

The  U.S. women's rugby team celebrated the country's first ever medal in the sport with their bronze win. 

Argentina's Jose Torres went all in during his BMX freestyle performance. 

Marjorie Delassus of France was locked in during her canoe slalom semifinal competition. 

Simone Biles and her teammates cheered on after their victory. 

Italy's epee team couldn't contain their excitement after besting France in their gold medal bout. 

Greece's Theodoros Tselidis and United Arab Emirates' Aram Grigorian faced off in the judo 90-kg competition. 

Leon Marchand of Team France gave a whole new meaning to "green eyes" while competing in the Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinals.

Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera of Team USA take their ceremonial bite of the medal after winning gold in Women's Gymnastics.

Stephen Nedoroscik from Team USA's men's gymnastics team won the hearts of the world with his instantly iconic pommel horse routine that helped the team win a bronze medal—breaking a 16-year-long medal drought.

Team Great Britain's Andy Murray had quite the celebration during the Men's Doubles Second Round match against Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen from Team Belgium.

Women's basketball got intense as Team USA and Team Japan competed for the win.

Team Brazil's Gustavo Batista de Oliveira did a full 360 during the Men's Park qualifier.

Marta Kostyuk of Team Ukraine needed a moment to cool down during her tennis matchup against Maria Sakkari of Team Greece.

Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin of Team South Korea clearly loved winning bronze during the mixed doubles table tennis match.

Japan's men's gymnastics team reveled in their gold medal win. 

Great Britan's Tom Daley and Noah Williams sunk the competition to earn a  silver medal. 

USA's Vinson Chiu went sky high during a Mixed Doubles Group Play badminton match. 

Great Britain's Heather Cowell took a stiff arm from Ireland's Amee Leigh Murphy head on. 

Brazil's Gabriel Medina appeared to float above the water during the men's round three surfing competition, making for one of the best photos to emerge from this year's Games so far. 

Team Great Britain divers Tom Daley and Noah Williams shared a hilarious moment as they picked up silver for synchronized diving.

Ronald Zabala-Goetschel of Ecuador had a less than terrific time competing in the equestrian competition. 

Team USA swimmer Katie Grimes gave us all double vision.

Lauren Scruggs, Lee Kiefer and Eleanor Harvey of Team USA and Team Canada's foil teams celebrated their Olympic medal wins with the iconic biting of the medal.

Denmark and Norway delivered during the preliminary handball competition.

Frida Andersen of Sweden went for an epic jump during the equestrian competition. 

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal celebrated a win in their first double match. 

Lebron James made winning look easy. 

USA fencer Lee Kiefer celebrated her win against China's Huang Qianqian. 

Vietnam's Ha Thi Ling took a punch from Tonga's Feofaaki Epenis. 

Gymnastics champion Simone Biles gave a shoutout to her fans at the gymnastics qualifyers on day two of the 2024 Olympics.