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Home / Sport / Olympics

Usain Bolt photo, taken by an Australian, that's sent the internet into meltdown

Herald online
16 Aug, 2016 05:27 AM3 mins to read

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The Usain Bolt photo that is sending the internet crazy. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Source:Getty Images.

The Usain Bolt photo that is sending the internet crazy. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Source:Getty Images.

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The greatest Australian moment of Rio 2016 may belong to a non-athlete, thanks to a Usain Bolt photo so perfect it's sparked a global meme frenzy and been compared to legendary images of Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.

Bolt is probably the most photographed person in the planet at the moment after winning gold in the 100m final on Monday.

The Jamaican icon has provided the world with so many memorable moments that to sum up his incredible athletic dominance in one image is nigh on impossible.

But Australian photographer Cameron Spencer, of Getty Images, has come pretty close with this absolute gem taken towards the end of the race.

The Usain Bolt photo that is sending the internet crazy. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Source:Getty Images.
The Usain Bolt photo that is sending the internet crazy. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Source:Getty Images.
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Already sports fans and reporters from around the world are going nuts about the perfectly-timed photo.

The Getty photographer of this photo you'll see a billion times forever is Cameron Spencer (@cjspencois). pic.twitter.com/ypsZGsJUpS

— Mitch Goldich 🐙 (@mitchgoldich) August 15, 2016

Fox Sports US dedicated an article to the image, under the headline 'The brilliance (and hilarity) of Usain Bolt in one breathtaking photo'.

"You could choose any of a hundred Usain Bolt photos and call if the best one ever," Chris Chase wrote. "When you have magnetic charisma it always translates into being supremely photogenic.

"But this one, from Sunday night's 100-meter semi-finals in Rio captures the essence of Bolt so perfectly it has to rank all the way up on the list. Why? It's the lead. The stride. The perfect form. It's the grin. It's the michieviousness.

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"It's the fact that he can be racing against eight of the fastest 16 men in the world and have flipped on the cruise control halfway through the race then, just for fun, flash a smile as if the point is to enjoy yourself, not hit the tape first. It's everything we love about Usain Bolt."

From Sports Illustrated to Yahoo Sports, US media was quick to vouch for Spencer's image as the greatest ever taken of Bolt in competition, with the latter labelling the Australian snapper as "the Usain Bolt of photographers right about now".

Naturally, it didn't take long before the memes started flowing.

However not everyone is in agreeance that Spencer's masterpiece is in fact the best photograph every taken of Bolt. And perhaps he has a point ...

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Sorry, THIS is still the best Usain Bolt photo ever taken. As he won the gold in Moscow. By Olivier Morin AFP pic.twitter.com/oTQplDHJFa

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) August 15, 2016

-News.com.au

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