Amazing Gymnastics Photo Wins Gold in World Sports Photography Awards

Jun 24, 2024

A triptych image showing three athletes: on the left, a surfer rides a wave underwater; in the center, a gymnast performs with chalk dust swirling around; on the right, a weightlifter prepares to lift a barbell with several weight plates.

The World Sports Photography Awards has unveiled the overall winner of its 2024 photo contest, along with the runner-up and third-place recipients.

Photographer Eric T’Kindt has won the gold medal for his showstopping image of Japanese gymnast Daiki Hashimoto. T’Kindt’s image, “Hashimoto at the Bars,” bested a record number of entries submitted by photographers from 83 countries.

A male gymnast is captured mid-air above a horizontal bar, wearing red pants and a white and red tank top. Chalk dust surrounds him, creating a circular pattern. The background is dark, emphasizing the gymnast and the chalk. — ‘Hashimoto at the Bars’ by Eric T’Kindt | Overall Winner — 2024 World Sports Photography Awards

“The talent as ever, was astounding so it was a difficult decision to choose our Top 10 images for each category, as well as our Top 3 overall. What an incredible year of sport photographed by you all!” writes the World Sports Photography Awards on Instagram, where it announced the top three overall winning photos.

T’Kindt is joined on the sports photo podium by photographers Isaac Julián Morillas Sánchez and Ryan Pierse, who won second and third place, respectively.

Sánchez’s silver medal-winning photo shows a weightlifter with a spotlight, making it look like he has laser eyes, a la Superman. The image is aptly named “A New Superhero?”

A weightlifter, wearing a blue and black outfit, lifts a barbell loaded with Eleiko weight plates in a dark environment. A dramatic light beam shines down on him from above, highlighting his focused expression and the intensity of the moment. — ‘A New Superhero?’ by Isaac Julián Morillas Sánchez | Second Place — 2024 World Sports Photography Awards

Pierse’s third-place photo, “Duck Dive,” shows a surfer underwater, looking toward the surface, while straddling her board.

A surfer in a wetsuit rides underneath a crashing ocean wave. The underwater view captures the surfer hanging onto their surfboard, surrounded by swirling bubbles and the deep blue sea. The scene exudes the powerful and dynamic nature of surfing. — ‘Duck Dive’ by Ryan Pierse | Third Place — 2024 World Sports Photography Awards

The World Sports Photography Awards also includes individual categories for different sports, including golf, winter sports, venues and views, urban and extreme, tennis, swimming and diving, rugby, racquet sports, American football, motorsports, martial arts, ice hockey, gymnastics, Formula One, football (soccer), equestrian, cycling, cricket, boxing, basketball, baseball, athletics (track and field), aquatic, and “other.”

The category winners have not yet been revealed, although the organization says they will be announced in the coming weeks. Sports photography fans can enjoy last year’s winners in the meantime. PetaPixel will feature the category winners as soon as they are announced, so more amazing sports photography will come shortly.

Photographers keen to get in on the 2025 edition of the World Sports Photography Awards should check out Andy Hooper’s How to Capture Award-Winning Sports Photos guide on PetaPixel.

Image credits: World Sports Photography Awards. The individual photographers are credited in the image captions.