Usain Bolt

A word about the work

(DIUN001)
L’Équipe Magazine sent Dimitri Iundt (photographer) and Stéphane Kolher (journalist) to Jamaica in spring 2011 to report on Usain Bolt’s training. The reigning World and Olympic champion was preparing for the coming World Championships in Daegu in Korea. He was disqualified in the final for a false start.
Training and stretching sessions took place early in the morning to avoid the worst heat.

As is often the case, there is a tiny part miracle in any great photo. I got really lucky with this shot. There were several other photographers who had also been invited to photograph the training session and for this shot I benefitted from a colleague’s flash, which gives a totally different effect than if I’d used mine. The side flash has added to the early morning light and gives this photo its particular atmosphere. It is the only shot from the series that has that light. If I had taken the photo a tenth of a second before or after, the photo would have been much more ordinary and wouldn’t have had the same impact at all.

Jean-Denis’s choice

It is really an incredible photo and you understand this supernatural light when you read Dimitri Iundt’s modest account. Everything was in place and then the hand of fate helped turn a magnificent photo into a sublime one. There is nothing to add apart from something Pierre Callewaert, Editor-in-Chief of Equipe Magazine, once wrote : « it’s simple, you can say a photo is truly great when people say ‘wow !’ when they first see it ».
What did I hear ? You didn’t just say ‘wow !!’ did you ?