Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Twists and Turns

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Oskars Gudramovics and Peteris Kalnins of Latvia make a run during the men's luge doubles during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on Feb. 12.

Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

By Melissa Goldin2014-02-12 19:20:45 UTC

It may be the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere, but temperatures at the 2014 Sochi Olympics are on the milder side. The effect of these warm temperatures can be seen in Wednesday's Photo of the Day, which features Eric Frenzel of Germany (right) and Akito Watabe of Japan (left) competing in the Nordic combined individual normal hill event.

The shadowed shot was taken by Al Bello, Getty Images' award-winning chief sports photographer. Bello, who captured the image at the RusSki Gorki Nordic Combined Skiing Stadium, is covering his tenth Olympics in Sochi. It showcases the snow's slushy conditions as well as the tight turns competitors must maneuver.

"What I really like about this picture is the fact that there is no color in the picture except the subjects," Bello said. "The contrast between the shadows and the white snow with the skiers wearing bright red matching the trail markers keeps the picture very easy to read. I like its simplicity and how quickly your eye is drawn to the skiers and nothing else."

Franzel won the event's gold medal while Watabe came in second and Norway's Magnus Krog took the bronze on Wednesday.

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