LONDON (AP) — AP photographer Gregory Bull knew it would come — the moment when Gabby Douglas does that little bit extra.
Her leap, high above the beam, in the women’s all-round individual gymnastics competition on Thursday is one of the iconic shots of the London Games.
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“I know there is that one moment where she jumps higher and stretches further back than everyone else,” said the San Diego-based photographer who has covered Douglas a number of times. “I knew that key moment was coming — and I knew I should wait and nail it.”
Denis Paquin, AP’s deputy director of photography, says the beauty of the shot lies in the combination of “the graceful motion and the horizontal lines between the balance beam and her perfectly-positioned body — all captured at the precise moment during her routine.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.