In the high-stakes theater of global sports, 2025 was a year where history was written in milliseconds. From the champagne-soaked podiums of Formula One to the muddy trenches of cyclocross, the world’s most elite photographers have spent the last twelve months chasing the “impossible shot.” As the digital archives of The Guardian swelled with over half a million images, a select few rose to the surface—not just for their technical perfection, but for their ability to freeze the raw, unscripted human spirit. These are the stories of the long exposures, the remote-controlled risks, and the sheer strokes of luck that defined the visual landscape of sport this past year.
Chloe Kelly and the 100km/h Heartbeat
The Euro 2025 final was more than a match; it was a national pulse-check. When Chloe Kelly struck the winning penalty for England against Spain, the stadium didn’t just erupt—it exhaled. Photographer Florencia Tan Jun, positioned behind the goal, captured the definitive image of Kelly’s celebration. Tan Jun admits that penalty shootouts are a photographer’s nightmare, where nerves can blur focus.
Initially, Tan Jun expected Kelly to celebrate in the opposite direction, but a split-second change in the player’s trajectory brought her directly into the lens. The resulting frame shows Kelly mid-stride, surrounded by the blur of her teammates. It is a portrait of “happiness at 100km/h,” capturing a historic reaction that was as unpremeditated as it was powerful.
Lando Norris: Panning Through History at Imola
Lando Norris’s ascent to the 2025 F1 World Championship was a masterclass in precision, and Jakub Porzycki’s photograph of him at Imola mirrors that exact quality. Utilizing a slow shutter speed and a wide-angle lens, Porzycki positioned himself near the Ayrton Senna memorial, framing the modern McLaren through a foreground of national flags and floral tributes.
This technique, known as panning, requires the photographer to move the camera at the exact speed of the car to keep the subject sharp while blurring the surroundings into a stream of color. The image is a poetic bridge between eras, placing the new world champion within the hallowed grounds of a racing legend. It serves as a reminder that in F1, speed is a blur, but legacy is permanent.
The Irony of Defeat: Ben Stokes and the “View”
Sports photography is often about the hero, but Robbie Stephenson’s shot of Ben Stokes is a study in the anti-heroic. During a grueling Ashes series, Stephenson captured the England captain looking dejected as he walked off the pitch. Behind him, a stadium advertising board ironically flashed the slogan: “What A View.”
Stephenson explains that the alignment was a gift of fate. While he was hoping for a celebration shot, the juxtaposition of the commercial cheeriness against Stokes’ deflated body language told the true story of the England camp’s morale. It is a frame that proves sometimes the most honest narrative is found in the background, where the world continues to spin even when a player’s universe has collapsed.
Superhuman Focus: The Floating Javelin
In the realm of Paralympic sports, Guillermo Varona Gonzalez of Cuba provided one of the year’s most ethereal moments. Photographer Dean Moutharopoulos watched Varona’s pre-throw ritual—a rhythmic leap where he clicks his heels—and decided to capture the jump rather than the throw. Lying flat against the fence to minimize distraction, Moutharopoulos waited for the apex of the movement.
The resulting image shows Varona’s body silhouetted against a black sky, his red uniform popping with intensity as he hangs weightless in the air. The javelin is gripped tightly, a spear of light in the darkness. It is an image that strips away the noise of the stadium to focus on the “superhuman” strength and determination required to compete at the highest level of the F46 class.
Through the Net: The Rise of Remote Mini-Cams
The perspective of the “beautiful game” changed in 2025 thanks to the daring use of technology. Hannah McKay utilized a Sony RX02, a camera no larger than a matchbox, hidden inside the goal net. For months, the experiment yielded nothing but frustration, until an Arsenal match against Aston Villa provided the breakthrough.
The camera captured Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal from a “worm’s-eye” view inside the mesh, with Villa keeper Emi Martínez sprawled in the foreground. The proximity creates an immersive, gritty impact that traditional long lenses cannot replicate. This “inside-out” perspective became a viral sensation, proving that in 2026, the best way to see the game is from the very spot where the points are won.
