BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Gabriele Facciotti is an action and sports photographer born in Turin. His love story with photography began in the most classic of ways: his father’s reflex camera. The opportunity to stop a moment in time before it passes by fascinated him immediately. He loves pasta, red wine, strong winds and black-and-white photography.

He works with Pentaphoto, one of the main Italian and international photo agencies in the field of sports photography since 1978. In the winter he works as a contributor for The Associated Press.

Why this photo?

The original plan was to shoot a completely different photo. The idea was to get a frontal frame of the athletes climbing up the course. After taking it, I kept following them with an eye and the geometric lines of the stairs in the background, contrasting with the intensity and drive of their ascent, caught my attention.

How I made this photo

I shot it with a 70–200mm lens, focusing manually because the heavy snowfall was causing problems with the autofocus.

Why this photo works

I could ask you the same question … . Jokes aside, I think it’s a key moment in the race, and the geometry of the stairs really enhances it.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics