The men's alpine skiing super-G race was as gripping as the Olympics get, resulting in a tie for bronze and an emotional medal ceremony for American Bode Miller. With such stiff competition, France's Thomas Mermillod Blondin placed 15th even though he was only 1.39 seconds behind gold medalist Kjetil Jansrud of Norway.
London-based photographer Clive Rose captured day nine's Winter Olympics Photo of the Day. Rose is no stranger to the intensity of sports photography, having won Getty's 2013 Specialist Sports Photographer of the Year. He was ready at the men's super-G to take the shot, above.
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The subdued background of Rose's shot allows Mermillod Blondin to pop. "The long lens compresses the background of the trees, and draws your eye straight to Blondin," Rose told Mashable in an email.
A common difficulty in sports photography is capturing power and motion in a single still frame. Rose noted that because of Mermillod Blondin's position, "with [his] poles out to his sides and both skis off the ground, you instantly get the sensation of just how fast these skiers race."