One Extraordinary Photo: Ski jumper glides through rain
Kacper Tomasiak, of Poland, soars through the air during the ski jumping men's large hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Credit: AP/Evgeniy Maloletka
PREDAZZO, Italy — Evgeniy “Zhenya” Maloletka is an Associated Press staff photographer based in Kyiv, Ukraine. He has won numerous awards for his work covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is covering his first Winter Olympics at the Milan Cortina Games.
Why this photo?
For me any photograph, including this one, must convey a sense of presence and evoke emotion and feeling — both in the person who took it and the person who will see it.
How I made this photo
It’s always good in a photo when there’s something unfamiliar, something new, something you might not have seen before. This makes you stop for a a second and forces you to think and analyze what you’re seeing.
Why this photo works
In this case, the rain did a good job. My lens was covered in raindrops. At first, I considered removing them but once I saw what the effect was, I decided to leave them and use them in the photo. The result is as if your glasses are splattered with rain, and you’re forced to look into the light which creates glare from the tiny droplets.
More Olympics
