The 31 most iconic sports photos of 2024 from Getty Images

This was a spectacular year in sports and the incredible photographers at Getty Images have been there every step of the way, documenting the highest highs, the lowest lows and everything in between. We've rounded up 31 of the best sports photos of 2024 but also had the privilege of having each one explained by the photographer who captured it.

There are epic battles at the net in sitting volleyball. I liked the idea of just showing the hands and the ball and used a 300mm lens to just focus on the ball and hands at the net. What I love about this image is that you can see the taped fingers — the Paralympics and Team Canada artwork on their fingernails all add to the texture of this image. I worked on this for about half of a set to get it just right. — Elsa

The photo of Kaishu Hirano of Japan is one of my favorite snowboarding images of 2024.  Snowboarding starts early but the most dynamic light is well before the competition.  I made sure I was in the position I shot this photo from well before warmups and waited.  The light stays this way for about ten minutes and I capitalized on that window.  I shot this with a medium-sized telephoto hoping to compress the wall of the halfpipe as well as the halfpipe itself.  The body position of Kaishu Hirano combined with the light makes a very compelling image. — Sean M. Haffey

With the annual Belmont Stakes being held in Saratoga, NY this year rather than Belmont Park, there was a new challenge in figuring out which shooting positions would provide the cleanest background. You can only partially anticipate where the winning horse will be, and the race starts and ends so quickly that there is not much room for error. If you want a clean background on the reaction shot as the horse and jockey come through, you have to pick the perfect spot to shoot from for the finish. I was shooting with a 600mm which was tight, but in this case, I felt that it paid off. I love that we can see the horse’s eye so clearly, and the shape of the jockey and the horse flows nicely together in front of a clean green background. — Sarah Stier/Getty Images

This was photographed during the CFP National Championship game at NRG Stadium as the University of Michigan Wolverines defeated the University of Washington Huskies in Houston, TX. It’s always exciting to get to shoot big events. The energy is always elevated and from the angle I was at, I could feel everything. What stood out to me and what continues to stand out is the height from where this image was taken. I have been in the rafters and along rickety catwalks before but what stood out the most was seeing the sheer magnitude of the event from 240 feet up. I wanted to go as wide as possible to document as much as I could in one frame. And I won't forget how hard my autofocus was working while shooting above the confetti canons. 

The approach to actually capturing this image was simple — zoom out, grip the camera tight with both hands, back-button focus, and hold down the shutter. I thought about how big an event like this is for the teams, that these college players are getting the chance to travel and play in a professional arena in front of a sold-out crowd, with even more people watching from home. That was part of my thought as to why I wanted to capture the event from so high up where you could really get a sense of how big this game was. — Logan Riely/Getty Images

Celebratory moments always make for good photos. The Los Angeles Dodgers started throwing sunflower seeds as the player returned to the dugout after hitting a home run.  So, I knew in advance that they would do this after the two-run home run by Jason Heyward. I had to go from a sitting position to a stand-up position to make this photo and then quickly return to a sitting position before play resumed. I was fortunate enough to make a quick photo of his tongue sticking out to catch seeds. — Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Mounting remote cameras in the catwalks of arenas takes immense trust and setup time. For WNBA games, I mount one every game. To trigger it, I used pocket wizard remotes from my spot on the floor. The overhead remote allows for clean images of the players looking up as they shoot, rebound or react from a charging call for example. The photos I keep are ones that show faces, the ball and not too many distractions coming into the frame like arms or legs of other players that didn't fit in the frame. It’s always a fun surprise to look at the memory card from the catwalk remote after the game! — Steph Chambers/Getty Images

I rarely get a photo idea right on the first try, but I'm always motivated to try again once I figure out what I need to change. At this golf tournament, I went out for the first group that was teeing off from this tee and tried my best to frame the sun behind the golfer in some way, but there were too many distracting trees behind the golfer, and the golfers were teeing off either too far away, or too close. I knew on this first day that I did not anticipate the golfers' positions well enough, and I only had enough time to try this on the first group. I decided to try again the next day, again with the first group to tee off. I changed my position slightly, got as low as I could to the ground, and moved inch by inch to line up the sun with the silhouette of the golfer as she addressed the ball. This time, I nailed it with the sun right between her arms. I loved the gradient that this created moving from bottom left to upper right of the frame. — Sarah Stier/Getty Images

This fight was an undercard bout before the main event between Charles Conwell and Nathaniel Gallimore. The impact of the punch against the other fighter's face really stands out here. It makes you really think about the pain that these boxes endure during a fight. My approach to capturing this photo was to try and get the timing down of the punches. There is a rhythm to each fight and each fighter. Boxing is one of the most difficult sports to photograph. I love the challenge of trying to time a punch to a face. The boxers are moving all over the ring and there is a referee constantly getting in your face—most of the time you’re blocked. Unless the boxers are facing exactly where you need them, getting a great boxing picture is few and far between. I do my best to follow all of the action and not miss anything, but it is easier said than done. — Al Bello/Getty Images

It seems like hurdle plays like this one are becoming more common each year so it’s something that’s in my mind when a ball carrier is running at a defender. I was at the back of the end zone when I captured this play. As Emanuel Wilson ran the ball to the edge to find space, I had my focus locked on him. When I saw the defender Charvarius Ward enter my frame I could just see a possible hurdle coming. Ward went low and Wilson went high. With my focus already locked on Wilson I held down the shutter button and trusted the camera to do its job. Thankfully I had a little room around the action, so he didn’t jump out of my frame. The result was a dynamic image that I’m really happy with. — Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

For this photo, the hope was to be able to catch the players as clean, isolated, and without distracting elements as possible, despite being confined to a media carpet on the edge of the rink. The Stanley Cup is such a storied and prestigious trophy, and it’s really important to get the players holding it when they are handed it by their teammate. Traditionally every player gets that one initial skate around with it so all you can do is be prepared with the right equipment and hope to capture history like this. — Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

This is an image of The People’s Republic of China competing in the Mixed Team Free competition during the World Swimming Championships in Doha earlier this year. I made this picture from the catwalk over the pool, wearing a harness and hand-holding my camera. Artistic swimmers make such amazing shapes during competition and from above is the best way to illustrate some of the formations. I love the way their arms all link together as they gaze upward to end their routine. — Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

This photo was taken on the 18th green after Dean Burmester had just won the LIV golf tournament and received a champagne shower from his teammate Louis Oosthuizen. The 18th green can be so special because you truly do not know how someone will celebrate once they have won. I tried my best to position myself so that Burmester was facing me on his final putt, as soon as it went in, he threw his hands into the air and Oosthuizen ran onto the green with the champagne for an unexpected celebration. Due to so many people running onto the green when he won, I only had seconds to capture this moment before he was surrounded by more teammates and media members. His emotions convey a strong sense of accomplishment and relief after winning, along with pride between the two teammates celebrating this victory together. — Megan Briggs/Getty Images

This picture was taken during the bike portion of the IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championships in Snow Canyon. I had photographed this race before and knew that Snow Canyon made for amazing backdrops for the race. I am always looking for a different angle that shows the athletes in the environment of the amazing canyon walls. I first flew my drone to show the vastness of the canyon and the racers. However, it was not really compressing the athletes with the canyon. I then found a vantage point from on top of a large rock cropping and was able to shoot down on the participants with a zoom lens that gave the picture that I was looking for. Plus the sun peaked out from behind a cloud, which gave for some dramatic lighting that added to the image. — Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Covering the Caitlin Clark phenomenon last season was quite a unique experience. The emotion that she displayed while performing at such a high level cultivated an intense atmosphere that had reached a pretty huge peak by the time this photo was taken. I remember having to show up to that game almost three hours early just to get into the parking lot even with an assigned pass. Everyone had guessed that she would break the record during the first half, and I had the option to switch to the other end of the court to get the action shot but chose my usual spot in hopes that she would turn toward the bench when after the shot. I’m glad I made that choice because her reaction and that of the crowd made for a far better picture than a standard action shot. — Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Going into the 2024 AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, we knew it was an important moment in the NFL season ahead of the Super Bowl. However, the attention around wanting to know more about Taylor Swift and her appearance at the game was even greater.

In the end, the Chiefs narrowed out the Ravens and the trophy ceremony began. My colleague lined up a key head-on position while I was left to make something different. Then from the corner of my eye, I could see people in droves making their way onto the field. Until this point in the NFL season, no one had gotten a close glimpse of Swift on the field. Real pressure began building to get “the shot” and I knew we had the chance to capture something iconic. 

Most photographers had no idea what was happening as they were focused on the trophy celebration. Swift quickly moved to a restricted access portion behind the stage. I thought this could be bad for visuals, but still forced my way as close to the barricade as I could. 

Not long after, Travis Kelce had made his way to her. Then it happened. A hug. A whisper. A snuggle. A kiss. A lot of smiles. After each moment I photographed, I questioned my next move and tried to anticipate what was to come next. Do I continue to photograph the couple? Or do I go send these images to our editors?

As they made their way off the field, they continued to embrace, and in my eyes, really brought their story to life. It was more than a kiss or embrace—it was a moment that humanized these larger-than-life celebrities and something the world had been waiting to see. With this image, the depth of the story grew. This became an iconic photograph of the couple used throughout 2024. — Patrick Smith/Getty Images

This image came about from doing my research. I follow a lot of the athletes on their social media accounts. Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles were talking about how much they admired Rebeca Andrade of Brazil. When I saw that Rebeca had won the gold medal in the Floor Exercise, I had a feeling that they would do something to show their appreciation and respect for her. 

I was assigned a lot of different events during the Olympic Games. On this day, I was joining our gymnastics photographers who had been covering the event the entirety of the Games. My role was to find other angles to round out our coverage of the Apparatus Finals that day. As photographers at Getty Images, we arrived several days before the Olympics began to explore the various venues we will be working during the Games. Because of this, I was familiar with the venue and knew exactly where I needed to go and fast. Without that prior knowledge of the building, I am not sure I would have made it in time to capture this moment. The medal ceremony happens very quickly after the individual event and there was no time to search for the perfect spot. 

What I love about this image is that to me it embodies the Olympic spirit–not only athletes supporting one another but women supporting one another. I thought it was a great moment and that I captured it clearly, but I had no idea that it would resonate with so many people. It was great to see it shared and the commentary that went along with it supporting these extraordinary women. — Elsa/Getty Images

Divers are incredible athletes, and I’m fascinated by how cleanly they enter the water. With this image, I tried to freeze the moment and love the detail of Juan Manuel Celaya Hernandez’s Olympic ring tattoo on his arm! It tells you something about him and his accomplishments immediately. I also had to pick the diving board with the cleanest background behind the diver (black without any advertisements) so the viewer's eye wouldn’t be distracted and could focus on the athlete. — Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

One of the most satisfying components of photographing motorsports is that there’s always color to be found around the racetrack. Combining multiple teams with varied sponsorships allow for this colorful ambiance, no matter the venue. In this photo, taken on pit lane, I decided to take a step back and use the color of the team’s pit wagons to my advantage. Doing this allowed an extra layer of color not seen if standing along pit wall. It is nice to have the ability to try different perspectives with panning during a practice session. — Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

This is from The American Rodeo by Teton Ridge at Globe Life Field. I really like the light coming through the stands onto the rider and the bull, which is spinning around backlit in a silhouette. I actually scouted this photo a few days before the event started. I wanted to shoot this photo from behind the chute where the bulls came out of. There was an empty chute I could work in and from past photos where they play baseball in this stadium, I noticed the light came through the stands onto the field of play only for a few minutes each day if it was sunny. Once I got permission to go behind the wall and shoot from underneath the fence, I set up my camera in my hands and waited for the bulls to come out of the shoot.

There were only a few bulls running from that side and the sun was not in the position I wanted it to be because the bulls were spinning outside of the area of light that was coming through the stands. Luckily the last bull ran wide and spun into the light. The moment was over in less than eight seconds. I managed to get this photo in one of my sequences in that span of time. — Al Bello/Getty Images

With the Summer Olympics happening every four years, as photographers we are reintroduced to sports that we don't cover on a regular basis. During the Games in Paris, I was tasked with documenting fencing at the Grand Palais. While the athletes competing were world-class, what stood out was the venue. By day, it was easily the most challenging venue as it was very ugly. But as night fell and the ceiling lit up, it became a magical make-shift arena that had photographers shoot wide rather than tight to capture the grand ambiance and visual spectacle. — Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Fencing is full of explosive emotions after each point, but the best reaction is after the winning moment. Kinga Drozdz of Team Poland was on my list of athletes to cover, and I noticed from her earlier rounds that she reacts facing straight forward. I really wanted a clean, black background with her hand visible. I decided to photograph this with a 300mm lens to tighten the framing of the anticipated moment. — Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Prior to the Olympic Games, I had been working with a team at Getty Images for nine months to think through various project ideas to capture the Games from another perspective. The Layers of the Games photo series was part of these projects. During a certain time, a game, a day of competition, or a race, I placed a fixed camera and shot at precise moments of action, celebration, or defeat. Then, on my computer, I layered these photos on top of each other until I achieved the desired effect, where we can see different moments of a competition in a single photo.

I could define this as a kind of time-lapse synthesized in a single still image. For this composition of the 100m final, there were only eight photos and therefore only eight layers here. In other sports such as soccer, I had the option of up to almost 100 different layers being used. This photo showcases how fast the athletes are and how quickly this race actually happens. In this case, Noah Lyles of Team USA won by just five-thousandths of a second. — Hector Vivas/Getty Images

This image was taken very late in the semifinal game between USA and Serbia. The game was highlighted by Steph Curry’s 36 points. Steph was reacting a lot as he hit 3-pointer after 3-pointer making great images. As the game came to a close, he hit one final 3-pointer to put the nail in the coffin for Serbia. As he celebrated and headed to the USA bench, LeBron came calling. Steph turned around and they went nose to nose and chest-bumped in celebration of the now-guaranteed win. They were so close to me that I was almost underneath them. I remember almost trying to lean back in my floor chair to try and get a better angle, but everything happened very quickly. I knew I had photographed a really great sequence and my only concern was focus. When the subject is that close if you are off even an inch or two it will be out of focus. Luckily, that did not happen and I got a frame I was really happy with and told the story of the game. — Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

I covered surfing throughout the 2024 Summer Olympics. The venue was at Teahupo'o in Tahiti, and it is a spectacular wave. This is one of the most dangerous waves as well as the most beautiful. During the Olympics, I wasn't allowed to fly a drone over the venue, so I was forced to wait until the competition window was over. I shot this picture with a Mavic 2 drone at about 75 feet over the wave. What I love about this image is that it shows the shallow reef which makes it so dangerous as well as the quality of the wave the surfer is enjoying. It's dramatic, beautiful and captivating all at the same time. — Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Before the Paralympics began, our team of photographers was tasked with covering training sessions to familiarize ourselves with venues and to add to our preview coverage. The sun illuminates the famous Roland Garros red clay beautifully. I wanted to add an extra layer of interest to it by finding a reflection. There are pieces of plexiglass around the venue I used to create this effect. The training sessions allow for exploration and creativity without the pressure of covering important matches, so was able to get this beautiful reflective image of Australia’s Anderson Parker. — Steph Chambers/Getty Images

To capture this photo, I was in the press tribune high above the pool where I was operating our robotic camera mounted in the roof of the arena. I had just learned how to operate the overhead robotic swimming camera and was getting a feel for the controls, monitoring the camera itself. I was trying to shoot a pan blur of the swimmers in the pool training and trying to make the shot look interesting. It is hard to pan a shot like this with a robot camera as you really have to be delicate on the controls of the joystick. It is even hard to pan with the camera in your hands, but this is something totally different. I had never tried this before, but I figured I might as well give it a shot. I was specifically looking for a swimmer doing the backstroke so they would be looking up. As I was panning, a female swimmer in the USA cap and a male swimmer in the lane over were both doing the backstroke. At the same time, two other swimmers came in the frame going in the opposite direction. The black lane markers on the bottom of the pool also worked nicely as they divided up the photo into sections. 

Water can be a challenging element when it comes to covering aquatic events but is also a great tool to add a creative layer to an image. What’s unique about capturing swimming at the Olympics is the shapes and sizes of the athletes — each one having different characteristics and quirks to their style of swimming. — Al Bello/Getty Images

New to the Olympic Games this year for our team was a project called Parisienne Projections. The idea of the project was to tell the story of profound Olympic moments, as well as its profound host city. The host city of the Olympics is such a pivotal part of the Games, and as main characters go, must be included when looking to tell the full story. We decided to take coverage from 16 days of competition beyond the walls of the Olympic venues and out into the streets with key images and moments being displayed all over the city of Paris at night. Here you see a photo of Simone Biles competing on the uneven bars during Day 2 of competition being projected in Montmartre. — Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

This image is from the last out of the World Series. I was on-site to edit the images of the four other photographers covering the game, but when I saw it looked like the game was clinched, I walked to try and find a place to take an image that would add to our coverage. I ended up in a stairwell taking pictures through a fence, lined up with the Dodgers bench across from me. In the winning moment, the team rushed out of the dugout towards their pitcher which made for a nice frame. — Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii is an amazing event to photograph. The athletes swim through crystal-clear water before they jump on their bikes and ride through lava fields. This image was taken with a drone of the age group athletes. I captured this just as the sun was starting to rise, and the swimmers were starting the race, and right before they started swimming over the reef. It shows the amazing color of the water against the swimmers. — Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

 A unique part of our sports coverage comes from being able to set up remote cameras in different parts of arenas and stadiums. These cameras are triggered wirelessly from a different position which gives a distinctive vantage point. One of the most unique is the goal cam at NHL games. Using a proprietary protective box that seamlessly and discreetly fits in the bottom of the goal, I try to anticipate the action in front of the goal. In sports, we are always looking for eyes to help tell the story during a decisive moment. This goal being scored by the Washington Capitals does just that. — Patrick Smith/Getty Images

For a postseason baseball matchup like this NLCS game between the Mets and the Dodgers, we have several photographers on-site in different positions around the field. My position for this game was in center field, inside the Citi Field batter's eye. It’s not a position that yields a large volume of imagery, but it’s key for home runs and celebrations. Before the game, I noticed that the pyrotechnics that the Mets fired off during home runs were below me, near my line of sight to the base path. So, when Pete Alonso hit this first-inning three-run home run, I made sure I was ready for the sparks. They didn’t last very long, but I was able to get a few frames with the fireworks filling the entire foreground and Alonso running the bases behind them. — Luke Hales/Getty Images