Viral Gabriel Medina kick-out wins World Sports Photography Award of the Year!

Surfing officially number one.

We did it! We really did it! Surfing, once a backwater or derelicts and crooks, now glittering, golden and beloved by the important voters of the World Sports Photography Awards. Huzzah, huzzah and one more huzzah, for you, but the biggest huzzah to Jerome Brouillet who captured the now-iconic moment and made us all respectable and grand.

Oh but of course you know the winning image, the viral sensation, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina kicking out of a Teahupo’o wave during this past summer’s Olympic Games, pointing one finger to the sky and declaring supremacy over all sports for all of 2024.

Beating Duke vs. North Carolina State, equestrians riding during sunset (or sunrise… I can’t tell), Green Bay’s Jordan Love stretching the football toward end zone pylon, golfer Bryson DeChambeau celebrating a winning putt, a race car, diver, ping pong player, ski jumper, rugby bros, boxer about to get punched in the eye…

…Beating all-comers.

You can examine all entries, here, and arrive at the same conclusion as the judges. Namely, that the surfing kick-out is unparalleled in both grace and beauty. That it is what separates us from the rest. That we should all be working on polishing our kick-out skills in order to impress babes at the beach.

But do you think that Medina’s countryman, and notable coward, Filipe Toledo is sad that he didn’t go viral for kicking out at Teahupo’o and, thus, never having to surf the scary place again? Mark already made?

I would be if I was he.

Huzzah, huzzah.

Back to the other World Sports Photography Awards nominees, though, which one is your actual favorite?

Me?

I’ve gotta go with the cycle fella being cheered on by French bakers even though I hate cycle fellas with a passion when I am driving on the streets at home.

Idiots.