Source: “One Lucky, Very Lucky Shot” | THEME. Usain Bolt @ Rio Olympics 100-meter semi-final | Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

And no I didn’t take it! Although I’ve been to Rio a few times I wasn’t there for the Olympics. Incredibly the photographer, Kai Pfaffenbach had this to say (in a Reuters video) about his iconic picture:

The German photographer is humble about his work. In this Reuters interview he says he was “just playing around and had a bit of fun.”

See, you dead serious photographers? Start playing around and have some fun!

Let’s loosen up a bit, experiment, as the best things in life are hardly ever planned.

Pfaffenbach went for a 1/50th panning shutter speed, “trying to do some arty shot.” Framing, composition, detail and out-of-focus areas, all just perfect.

“One lucky, very lucky shot,” says Pfaffenbach.

I should be so lucky. I’m sure this photograph will go down as one of the greatest sports photographs of all time.

Grinning Usain Bolt, winning the semi-final to his third 100-meter gold medal at three consecutive Olympics (a first!), and still having ample time to smile back at his drudging, smaller-than-Bolt pursuers, captured by Pfaffenbach — simply iconic