Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Speed Demons

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(L to R) Denis Yuskov, Ivan Skobrev and Aleksandr Rumyantsev of Russia speed around the rink in the men's speed skating team pursuit quarterfinals on Feb. 21.

Image: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

By Melissa Goldin2014-02-21 18:30:49 UTC

Life moves pretty fast, especially if you're an Olympic speed skater.

Friday's Photo of the Day captures the breakneck speed of Russians Denis Yuskov, Ivan Skobrev and Aleksandr Rumyantsev during the men's speed skating team pursuit quarterfinals.

The deliberately blurred shot was captured at the Adler Arena Skating Center by award-winning Getty photographer Quinn Rooney, who is covering his fourth Olympics. He believes it serves as an accurate representation of the skaters' abilities.

"This pan blur of the Russian team pursuit team makes for a very bright and vibrant picture that gives the impression of just how smooth and fast these skaters are," Rooney said. "The effect is created by shooting at a slow shutter speed and panning the camera with the skaters."

But an image like this also depends on just a little bit of serendipity.

"It's not easy to move the camera at exactly the same pace as the athletes and it takes practice," Rooney added. "Even with practice, it's no guarantee that you'll come away with a picture like this every time."

The Netherlands will take on South Korea for the event's gold medal Saturday.

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