Lightning and Bolt struck at the same time in Sunday night’s track world championships in Moscow.
Six-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt had just cruised to victory in the 100-meter final when a lightning bolt illuminated the sky above the stadium. The moment was captured in a dazzling photo by Olivier Morin of news organization Agence France Presse.
Photographer who captured Usain Bolt-lightning bolt image calls it ‘pure luck’
While the world’s fastest man remained expressionless after reclaiming his world title with a winning time of 9.77 seconds, Mother Nature added dramatic flair to the win at Luzhniki Stadium.
“This was, I think, a once-in-a-lifetime moment,’’ Morin wrote in a behind-the-scenes account of the photo for AFP. "I imagine if I tried again for a similar result for the next 50 years, it wouldn’t happen again."
Five remote-controlled cameras were set up by the side of the track in order to get a shot of the winner, with one of them capturing the breathtaking photo.
“It’s of course the lightning that makes the photo, because we’re talking about Usain Bolt here,’’ Morin wrote. “Without the flash in the sky, it wouldn’t really be anything that special. I knew it was a good shot, but I didn’t anticipate the amount of reaction it would get.”
"I’ve got to get that picture right now,'' Bolt told Russian outlet R-sport. "That's a pretty cool picture if it's so."
The often-theatrical Bolt, 26, mimicked opening an umbrella near the starting line as he prepared for the race in a steady downpour. As the competitors loosened up, the public address system played a song by Bolt's favorite artist, playing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.’’