Tom Jenkins’ best sport photographs of 2024

It’s been quite a year, and one totally dominated by the “big three”: the men’s Euros in Germany and the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris. This a personal selection of my favourite pictures, a few of which haven’t been published before. Some have been chosen for their news value; others are here because there’s a nice tale behind them.

Luke Littler, World Darts Championship final, Alexandra Palace – 3 January

Lens 24mm, 1/1600, f2.8, ISO 5000

My year began just up the hill from my house, documenting the amazing rise of Luke Littler. The relatively unknown 16-year-old from Warrington had shocked the world of darts and captured the nation’s attention as he progressed through the tournament. As well as photographing the final itself I wanted to find a picture to illustrate how his life was changing so rapidly and that now, suddenly, all eyes were on him. As the fireworks went off and the crowd went crazy, Littler nervously walked on stage for his final against Luke Humphries. I decided to nip behind a row of other media to capture this scene.

Arsenal v Newcastle, Premier League, Emirates Stadium – 24 February

Lens 24mm, 1/1600, f4, ISO 4000

For this picture I have to thank one man in particular: not the athletically leaping Gabriel (although admittedly he does help) but Arsenal’s set-piece guru and now cult-hero, Nicolas Jover. I had noticed in several previous Arsenal games the tactics they had started to employ at corners, often crossing the ball into the space well short of the near post. So for this match I decided to tuck a remote camera behind one of the stanchions that help to hold up the back of the net and angled the lens slightly up and away from the goal. It also really helps that the pitch at the Emirates falls away very sharply after the deadball line so you can really get the camera at worm’s eye level. Fortunately, I managed to guess correctly where the ball might come and the fixed focus was on the right spot to capture Gabriel twisting in mid-air to powerfully head the ball towards goal.

Jürgen Klopp, Carabao Cup Final, Wembley Stadium – 25 February

Lens 400mm, 1/1600, f4, ISO 3200

Liverpool’s League Cup final against Chelsea was held just a few weeks after their legendary manager had shocked the footballing world by announcing he would step away from the club at the end of the season. So all day I had in the back of my mind that this could be their last trophy together, and possibly his last ever final. Despite being racked by injuries and having to use very young and inexperienced academy players, his team somehow managed to win 1-0 after extra-time. Klopp seemed particularly thrilled and in the celebrations that followed I kept a close eye on him, capturing the moment when he spotted someone in the crowd and, with his famous pearly-white teeth glinting in the floodlights, pointed very deliberately to his heart and club crest.

Arsenal Women v Spurs Women, Emirates Stadium – 3 March

Lens 130mm, 1/16000, f4, ISO 500

I know, another corner picture at Arsenal – sorry! This one’s a bit different though. Sometimes, when the light is really nice, it gives the photographer a challenge: how to make the most of it without letting the technicalities get in the way of telling the story. At this lunchtime kick-off in early March, the low sunlight was beautiful so I positioned myself to shoot full-backlight. As a corner was about to be taken I decided to take a bit of a risk and quickly whack up the shutter speed to expose just for the highlights. Of course this would have been a terrible exposure if something important, like a goal, had happened. Luckily (for me at least) it didn’t.

Cheltenham Festival – 15 March

Lens 70mm, 1/12800, f4, ISO 4000

• Runners in the final race of the meeting, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle.

In some ways this picture has a lot of similarities to the previous one. The weather of the Festival this year had been rather bleak, there had just been a heavy shower, and I was out by the final hurdle waiting for the final race of the meeting to start. It was dark and miserable, and I was looking forward to getting home. Then, suddenly, the clouds parted and the course was bathed in the most gorgeous crystal-clear light, the sort that you only seem to get straight after a storm. Because it was so late in the day the huge stands were casting shadows over where I was positioned, so I ran down the course and found this patch of sunlight just seconds before the runners passed by.

Cambridge v Oxford Women’s Boat Race, River Thames – 30 March

Lens 200m, 1/2500, f9, ISO 200

• The two crews approach Hammersmith Bridge.

I suppose this is another image that entirely owes its place in this selection to the light – if it had been an overcast day I am sure my picture would also have been dull. I also think that the bird flying by needed to have been in exactly the right spot for the composition to work. Photographing the races on the Thames was particularly interesting for me this year because I had just completed a story I had spent a lot of time on, trying to show how and why Cambridge had become so dominant in the Boat Race. So I was quite invested in seeing the Light Blues triumph again, which they duly did in both men’s and women’s open races.

British swimming championships, London Aquatics Centre – 7 April

Lens 27mm, 1/2000, f2.8, ISO 6400

• Competitors in a women’s 800m freestyle heat enter the pool.

These championships held particular significance given that selection places for both Olympics and Paralympics were up for grabs. I was there for a couple of days and decided for one of the less important heats to head underground to the portholes built into the side of the pool. I remember using them in 2012 and it quickly came back to me how difficult the shooting conditions were. The domed shape of the glass meant it was extremely hard to focus – you had to be exactly parallel and right on the pane. Plus the best pictures always happen when the competitors dive in, but you can’t hear much down there, so you don’t know the precise moment to fire. Just to make it a bit harder, there is very little light down there and you have to pre-focus on nothing, the auto-focusing of the camera being too slow and unpredictable through the thick glass. What I certainly didn’t bargain for was this swimmer seeming to belly-flop into the water while starting her heat of the 800m freestyle.

Grand National meeting, Aintree – 11 April

Lens 24mm, 1/2000, f8, ISO 2000

• Jockey Alex Chadwick falls off The Big Lense at The Chair in the Randox Foxhunters Open Hunters Steeplechase on the first day of of the 2024 Grand National meeting.

I’ve done it so many times before, but I still get an excited tingle waiting at The Chair, listening for the runners and riders approaching. It’s still a really hard fence to jump, despite the adjustments made to make it much safer over the years. One of those safety measures has been to soften the top of the fence with more loose spruce – so when a horse hits it, the spruce flies dramatically everywhere. As the action at The Chair happens so quickly, I often use a couple of remote cameras to see the drama from a variety of angles and widen my chances. This picture was taken from low down on the inside of the course, the area where the majority of the runners seem to go.

England Women v Ireland Women, Six Nations rugby union, Twickenham – 20 April

Lens 560mm, 1/2000, f4, ISO 800

Ellie Kildunne, the flying England full-back, breaks through a tackle like she has done so many times this year. She has been fantastic, so I wasn’t at all surprised when she was recently crowned World Player of the Year. Not only is she supremely talented but she also makes brilliant pictures. Hair flying everywhere always looks great on camera – it’s the reason I also love taking Marcus Smith and Chandler Cunningham-South of the England men’s team in action. Tip for any young rugby player: if you want to have your picture in the paper, grow your hair!

Ipswich Town v Huddersfield Town, Portman Road – 4 May

Lens 400m, 1/2000, f5.6, ISO 400

It was blindingly obvious that there would be a pitch invasion the day Ipswich won promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2002. Thinking it would happen, I spent some time before the match working out my plan of action, deciding whether it was best to go onto the pitch with the fans or go upwards for a slightly elevated position. I decided on the latter, finding a corner in the main stand that I could squeeze into. It would give me a nice angle of the supporters running on and was near the tunnel, where the players would eventually have to head. Five minutes before the final whistle, with Ipswich leading 2-0, I rushed off to my pre-researched perch. It gave me a lovely, and safe, view of the wild celebrations – including this picture of home-town hero Harry Clarke pretending to drink champagne from a blow-up bottle as he was lifted up by adoring fans.

Juan Postigo Arce, G4D Open, Woburn – 15 May

Lens 40mm, 1/4000, f2.8, ISO 250

The G4D Open, essentially the Open Championship for disabled golfers, was held for the first time in 2023. I thought it would make a good story to see the world’s best, find out their stories and ask why golf has not been, and will not be for a long time, included in the Paralympics. Probably the star of disabled golf is Spaniard Juan Postigo Arce, who was born without his lower right leg and knee. He had previously played with a prosthetic, but it had been too painful. The first time I saw him fully swinging a driver and crushing the ball 300 yards down the fairway it blew me away.

Manchester City v West Ham United, Etihad Stadium – 19 May

Lens 24mm, 1/1600, f6.3, ISO 800

Phil Foden scored his and City’s crucial second goal on the final day of the season to virtually seal for his team the Premier League title for the fourth consecutive time. This was another example of beautiful light creating a nice opportunity but also making it technically tricky, especially with the shadow moving so quickly across the penalty area during the first half. As this was taken on a remote camera setup before kick-off, it meant an element of guessing the right exposure and crossing fingers was needed on my part. Fortunately Foden and the despairing keeper Alphonse Areola were lit up in the last few moments of sunlight.

Carlo Ancelotti, Champions League final, Wembley – 1 June

Lens 400mm, 1/1600, f4, ISO 3200

Real Madrid had beaten Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League final and the post-match celebrations were starting to wind down. I was just about to walk back to my allocated pitch-side position to edit and transmit more pictures when I spotted Carlo Ancelotti being hoisted up by his players. I suppose the sight of a manager being thrown into the air in post-match celebrations is quite common now. But less so when that manager is 64 and dressed immaculately in a dark suit. Side-on is always the best position to be when something like this happens, as you don’t want the back of the head or the soles of the feet. I just love how the normally pretty serious Italian is laughing his head off. Too right when you’ve just become the most successful manager in Champions League history.

Scotland fan walk, Euros 2024, Cologne – 20 June

Lens 16mm, 1/1250, f4, ISO 400

For me, the most memorable moments at the men’s Euros in Germany were created by the fans. I didn’t think the actual football was of a very good standard, the best players exhausted after a long season. So when I was in Cologne for the Scotland v Switzerland group game I decided to photograph the Scottish fans’ organised march to the ground. Five hours before the match I got on a train to the designated spot where the walk would start, and traced the mile and a half route to the ground, working out the best spot to photograph from. I plumped for a quiet, residential area five minutes from the stadium. It was incredible to watch the Tartan Army march through, the local people hardly believing their eyes. I loved this moment – a local boy, proudly dressed in his German kit but wearing a tartan hat given to him, high-fiving fans as they walked past his front garden, singing at the top of their voices.

Denmark v England, Euros 2024, Frankfurt Arena – 20 June

Lens 160mm, 1/10, f11, ISO 100

Holding the Euros in the centre of Europe enabled fans to easily travel there in huge numbers. Every game was packed out, and the colour and vibrancy the supporters provided meant each stadium was rocking with atmosphere. It certainly was at this game, the Danish fans coordinated in their outfits, united as one in red and white. Wanting to create an image that illustrated this, I used a very slow shutter-speed and zoomed the lens out during the exposure. It took quite a few tries before I got something I was happy with.

England v Spain, Euro 2024 final, Olympiastadion – 14 July

Lens 400mm, 1/1600, f4, ISO 3200

It was England’s first ever major final abroad and it seemed everyone wanted to be there. The tales I heard of how England fans got to Berlin were incredible and numerous. But it wasn’t to be. Beaten by a clearly superior Spanish team and having lost a second consecutive Euros final, the dejection and disappointment of the English players was obvious to see. This feeling was visible on the faces of the England captain Harry Kane and the manager Gareth Southgate as they waited for the presentation ceremony. Kane knew that he had endured a very poor tournament; Southgate knew that his time in charge was coming to an end.

Women’s individual sabre fencing final, Paris Olympics, Le Grand Palais – 29 July

Lens 16mm, 1/2000, f4, ISO 3200

• Manon Apithy-Brunet of France (right) on her way to victory against Sara Balzer of France in the women’s individual sabre fencing final.

To say the Paris Olympics were beautiful is a bit of an understatement. After the disappointments of the last two summer games, especially the Covid-hit Tokyo edition, it seemed the organisers were desperate for a Games that was a feast for the eyes. Obviously excellent news for all the photographers there. So many of the locations were spectacular, none more so than the Grand Palais, with its majestic 45-metre-high, barrel-vaulted glass roof which was draped in white covers to limit heat during the day. It was when the sun had gone down that the ceiling looked its best, lit up theatrically against the backdrop of darkness. I noticed a couple of small lights were shining directly down on me, so I used a star-burst filter just to add to the night sky effect.

Simone Biles, gymnastics women’s team final, Paris Olympics, Bercy Arena – 30 July

Lens 400mm, 1/2500, f4, ISO 2500

Biles was a huge attraction at the Olympics this summer. Each time she competed, not only were the stands packed, so too were the photo positions. At the gymnastics, like so many of the other events, there was a two-tiered photo priority system operating. A few privileged people, those who worked for the sporting federation, IOC or major international news agencies, were given priority access to “infield”, in front of the boards, right by the pieces of apparatus. The vast majority of the photographers, including me, had to work on the outside of the boards. On nights like this, when Biles was going for gold, those positions were heaving. It was so hard to work properly, crammed together in tiny spots not really designed to hold so many. Having studied her routine, I knew Biles had this nice move on the uneven bars – but I came to the position late as I needed to cover her previous piece of apparatus, the vault. I managed to wriggle into a spot with an extremely limited view, just enough to see the precise area where I knew she would do this trick.

Women’s 78kg judo final, Paris Olympics, Champ de Mars Arena – 2 August

Lens 28mm, 1/1250, f2.8, ISO 3200

This was France’s big night of their Games, with two national heroes competing in judo, one of their most beloved sports. Teddy Riner duly delivered, winning gold for the fourth time, but the other hot favourite, Romane Dicko, lost her semi-final. Despite victory in the bronze medal match, Dicko dejectedly walked off the mat, head bowed. As she slowly made her way out of the arena, I spotted President Emmanuel Macron quickly leaving his seat and making his way towards her. His security guards were all flustered, obviously not happy he was making an unplanned trip. I guessed the spot where the president and Dicko would meet and as soon as she reached him she started crying. I was just a few feet away as he tenderly took her head in his hands and wiped away the tears. It was a beautiful moment, perfect for a story I was working on about how Macron, in such a tumultuous political time, was personally enjoying a brilliant Games. The moment didn’t last long though, as a security guard leaped in front of me, shoved me hard in the chest and shouted something in French that I didn’t understand.

Men’s pole vault final, Paris Olympics, Stade de France – 5 August

Lens 560mm, 1/15, f7.1, ISO 100

In this photo, Mondo Duplantis of Sweden speeds down the runway on the way to breaking his own world record in the pole vault. For this particular moment, I decided to set up my camera with two very different exposure settings. One, like this picture, with a very slow shutter-speed to capture a pan-blur of his run-up, the second exposure with a quick shutter-speed to capture him going over the bar and celebrating on the descent. All I needed to do was press a button on my camera when he was about to take off to shift between the two different exposures.

Women’s keirin track cycling, Paris Olympics, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines – 8 August

Lens 120mm, 1/2000, f4, ISO 4000

• The aftermath of a crash between Belgium’s Nicky Degrendele (left), China’s Yuan Liying (centre) and Netherlands’ Steffie van der Peet crash during a women’s track cycling keirin quarter-final.

Working in the sweatbox that masqueraded as the National Velodrome wasn’t the most pleasant experience of the Games. It was incredibly hot and dry, made so to create the perfect conditions for breaking records. But they weren’t the only things breaking in there: immediately after crossing the finish line in a keirin quarter-final, three riders had a very nasty high-speed crash. It’s part and parcel of the sport I’m afraid, with cyclists racing at 40mph in close proximity. It might be very dangerous, but it’s the mix of jeopardy and speed that makes it such a watchable event. As a photographer you just have to keep concentrating all the time and never take your eye off the action.

Women’s 66kg boxing final, Paris Olympics, Roland Garros – 9 August

Lens 145mm, 1/1600, f4, ISO 3200

At the climax of perhaps the biggest news story of the Games, Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer at the centre of a huge gender eligibility row, won her gold medal after victory in the final. Roland Garros was packed with Algerians that night. It was a truly incredible atmosphere. After the fight, which I photographed from the stands, I was invited down to ringside by the venue photo manager because the Algerian photographer who was supposed to be there hadn’t turned up. Ringside is a very privileged position, normally limited to just major agencies and photographers from the competing countries. I got to the spot just seconds before the presentation ceremony began.

Men’s S5 200m freestyle final, Paris Paralympics, La Defense Arena – 29 August

Lens 155mm, 1/2500, f2.8, ISO 2500

Going back to Paris after such a brilliant Olympics, I had high hopes for the Paralympics. The opening day, and especially the first night at the pool, did not disappoint. Witnessing these remarkable athletes in person was incredible, and few were more impressive than Guo Jincheng from China, nicknamed “The Flying Fish”. After losing both his arms in a freak electrocution accident at six years old, Guo took up swimming. He uses a technique similar to dolphins, and doesn’t wear a cap, preferring to shave his head on the day before competition. It made for a striking image as he flew off the blocks to start a race. The Games were hugely successful for him, winning four gold and two silver medals in total.

Lens 17mm, 1/800, f8, ISO 2500

Looking back now, for me the undoubted star of the Paris summer wasn’t an athlete from the Olympics or the Paralympics – it was the Eiffel Tower. The setting for the beach volleyball and then the blind football was so gorgeous. It was like a magnet for all the photographers, the tower luring us in to take its photo. Probably at the Paralympics was when it looked its best, the green football pitch contrasting perfectly with the red early autumnal sunsets. When France was playing there, it was definitely the hottest ticket in town. The atmosphere was wonderful, the necessary silence – enabling the blind players to hear the ball – contrasting perfectly to the raucous disco beats and cheering crowds when play stopped.

Women’s WS7 table tennis semi-final, Paris Paralympics, Arena Paris Sud – 5 September

Lens 400mm, 1/2000, f2.8, ISO 4000

Bly Twomey, the 14-year-old table tennis player who was born with cerebral palsy, was one of the British stars of the Games, winning two bronze medals. Table tennis is one of the unsung heroes of the Olympics and Paralympics, not getting a huge amount of attention. So it was wonderful to finally make it there and photograph such a brilliant athlete. Early in the game – especially when she served – I noticed how her hair swung around, so tried to find an angle where I could just see the determination in her one visible eye.

Men’s wheelchair tennis doubles final, Paris Paralympics, Roland Garros – 6 September

Lens 115mm, 1/2500, f6.3, ISO 400

In this photo, the British pair of Gordon Reid (top) and Alfie Hewett are shown on their way to gold in their final against Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki of Japan. It was a beautiful afternoon at Roland Garros, so it would’ve been a shame not to use the wonderful red clay in a picture. I went up to the top deck to shoot down, and noticed there were small glass panels alongside the stairs near to the seats. At a certain angle these panels became very reflective. By placing my camera right up to the glass I could create a reflection that produced this rather surreal effect.

NFL Academy pray before match, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – 8 October

Lens 16mm, 1/500, f4, ISO 4000

• Cam Winston, the defensive backs coach for the NFL Academy, gathers all the players together in the showers of the home dressing room for a prayer just before kick-off during their match against De La Salle Spartans from California at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In early October, I was granted exclusive behind-the-scenes access to compile a story about the NFL Academy. Now five years old, this major initiative by the National Football League was set up to provide full-time high school education for 16–19-year-olds from across the globe alongside elite training in American football. Based in Loughborough, the academy now plays several matches each year against top-level college teams from the US, including one at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when it is in full NFL mode. It’s an amazing experience for these teenagers, being able to use the same facilities as the top professional teams. This picture shows the academy players praying together in the vast palatial shower room of the home dressing room just before heading out to play the De La Salle Spartans from California.

England v New Zealand, Autumn Nations Series, Twickenham – 2 November

Lens 560mm, 1/2000, f4.5, ISO 3200

The buildup to England’s first rugby union international of the autumn was dominated by a row about the famous All Blacks’ haka. The England prop Joe Marler (never one to hold back from an opinion) had posted earlier in the week that the haka was “ridiculous” and “needed binning”. He later apologised – but it certainly spiced things up. I knew I had to get a good picture of the haka, so when I got to Twickenham on matchday the first thing I did was go up into the stands to work out angles I could get to when all the crowd were in place. Of course I didn’t know at that stage which way they would be facing; the coin toss would decide that just before kick-off. So I had to have two different plans of attack, one for either end of the ground.

Man City v Man Utd, Premier League, Etihad Stadium – 15 December

Lens 560mm, 1/1600, f4, ISO 4000

You can’t beat a bit of pre-Christmas local derby argy-bargy. Well, actually you could that day – I was at the wrong end for all three goals, including the crucial winner for United. The experience is a familiar one for all sports photographers, and the run of thoughts that went through my head during this particular match is still fresh… City score the opening goal at the other end from me in the first half. Ok, admittedly not great, but there’s a long way to go in the game. Then Højlund and Walker butt heads in a perfect spot for me. Referee – please make this a big moment, send one off, send both off! Damn, just yellow cards. The game is pretty dire, nothing much happening, meandering to a dull 1-0 home win. It’s OK, maybe. But United equalise late at the other end (that’s really not good) then win it right at the death and the crucial goal is totally rubbish from my end (that’s really, really not good). After the match I try not to look in the faces of the photographers who were at the right end. I know I’ve had a bad game, and I’ve got a horrible, long journey home courtesy of Avanti trains. Bad day all round. A match like this just shows what a big part luck plays in my job. Some days it goes for you, some days it doesn’t.