Photos show the biggest moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics

“One of the most challenging things to do as a sports photographer is to find an image no one else has,” Smith said. “Often confined by limitations on movements, finding a unique image is the gold standard.”

“It’s not every day we get to see such a clean image without anything else around, especially in summer when this area is normally overwhelmed by tourists,” de Waele said.

“There are many things that did not line up at first,” Bello said. “The light was not right, the judges kept walking in the way, I could not get to the position I wanted, and I also needed to have the fencers compete on center stage, which does not happen until the finals at the night session. Then, for a very short time span, all the elements lined up.”

“Oftentimes I don’t get lucky,” Chambers said, “but when I do it’s quite rewarding.”

“Throughout the Paris Games, we have been working on a creative project called Parisienne Projections,” the photographer Ryan Pierse said. “Each night we’d find a new location to project an iconic Olympic moment and bring it to the streets and buildings of Paris for people to enjoy. This one was taken following the men’s 100-meter final, where Noah Lyles of Team USA celebrates his epic win with big emotion and an American flag draped over him.”

“With ‘Layers of the Games,’ what I do is put a fixed camera shooting at the most important moments of a game or a day of competition, and then in postproduction I place the layers of the photos on top of each other until I achieve this effect,” Vivas said. “It shows the action, emotion, and movement through one half of the field.”

“What I tried most on this day was to find a balance between this amazing sport, the beauty of the course, and the photographic technique looking for the best light,” Mendes said. “This photo embodies all three.”

“What I love about his image is it shows what the Olympics and especially gymnastics are all about — athletes supporting one another,” Elsa said. “To me, this image embodies the Olympic spirit perfectly.”

“I wanted to scout the park for the best photo positions, but also wanted to take advantage of the morning sun and shadows on the park for any possible images,” Shaw said. “By the time the event started, all the shadows on the park were completely gone and this picture of Emilie Alexandre of Team France would not have been possible.”

“The Australian Michelle Jenneke clipped one hurdle then crashed into the next before getting up and finishing,” Richard Heathcote said. “The frame shows the heaviest part of her crash as she tumbles towards the next hurdle with the other athletes around her trying to avoid being taken out as well.”

“The atmosphere in the streets of Montmartre was simply spectacular,” Ramos said. “My task that day was to find a spot in Montmartre, outside of the photographers’ assigned positions, that summed up the environment of this area of Paris — narrow streets, small shops and cafés.”

Realizing he needed more height to capture the perfect shot, Ramos bought a ladder and sat on it for six hours until the runners arrived.

“The street got more and more crowded, and I ended up surrounded by hundreds of fans singing and drinking!” he said.

“Gabby Thomas of Team USA was filled with emotion after crossing the finish line to win gold during the women’s 200-meter final,” Chambers said. “She settled for bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, so you could see how much this meant to her and how special it was to be an Olympic champion.”

Petersen took this photo of Biles during the individual all-around competition, which she won.

“In her final routine, she soared around the floor and eventually just past the rings on the wall,” Petersen said. “I was able to capture her at the peak of a jump from an elevated position with a long lens. Ultimately, I am very happy with the image and forever grateful for the experience.”

“Marchand had a significant lead, so I stayed focused on him as he finished the race,” Meyer said. “He turned towards the crowd and the clock, slamming his arm into the water, creating a graphic splash behind him. This image stood out to me because often the water will cover the swimmer’s face, but I love the way it acts as a background emphasizing his celebration.”

“I was waiting for an athlete to perform this type of vault, as you get to see their face pointing towards the camera,” Mullan said.

Mullan added that Andrade looked “controlled, powerful, and poised” during her vault.

Pretty used an underwater robotic camera to capture the race’s start and finish.

“This was a race I had been looking forward to for a long time — possibly the greatest-ever female swimmer, Ariarne Titmus, up against the Olympic champion Katie Ledecky,” Pretty said.

“This was a tightly contested match that was tied 14-14, and with the next point deciding the gold medal, I chose to keep both athletes in the frame,” Bello said.

“I knew there was going to be emotion from the winner and loser of this match. My hunch was luckily correct, as the winner threw his helmet in the air and raised his arms in victory while the loser slowly peeled his helmet off his face in defeat.”

“This angle shows the bubble trail from where the divers entered and the force of their trajectory through the water as they try to slow themselves down and make their bubble entry as small as possible,” Rooney said. “I love the shape of the divers in this particular image as they make their way back up to the light.”

“Surfing in Tahiti lends itself to beautiful photos, but it requires a lot of conditions to come together at the right time,” Haffey said. “Weather, wave height, and the athlete’s ability all play a major role. In this photo of Kauli Vaast, I was fortunate to have all three.”

“The celebrations went in the family-box direction, but suddenly he turned and Dan hugged him as he let out a scream of joy,” Brunskill said of Murray. “He was in the perfect place for me in front of the Olympic rings! I couldn’t believe my luck — the picture was the only one with rings in the background.”