Grand Sumo by Donald Miralle

Grand Sumo

Sports Action, first prize stories

9/10/2005

Sports Portfolio: Tokitenku (Mongolia) and Chiyotaikai (Japan) slap each other as the gyoji officiates during the Grand Sumo Championship. This was the first time in twenty years that Grand Sumo has competed in the US. Tokitenku won the match.

Commissioned by: Getty Images

Location: San Diego, California, USA

Photo Credit: Donald Miralle

After completing his Bachelor's degree in fine arts at UCLA and working as a photo assistant in Los Angeles, Donald Miralle landed an entry-level job with Allsport Photography. He worked his way from the desk to the field in the first year, and went on to become a senior staff photographer for Getty Images. He did this for ten years, covering all the major sporting events worldwide for the agency. Miralle has covered six Olympic Games, and for the past four years has branched out on a freelance career, working with such clients as Newsweek, The New York Times, Golf Digest, ESPN the Magazine, Men’s Journal, Nike, Ironman, and the NFL Players Association. He is a multiple award winner at the World Press Photo Awards, Pictures of the Year International, Best of Photojournalism, and Photo District News, and has served on the contest jury for the Best of Photojournalism, Swedish Pictures of the Year, and the Wisconsin and Utah Press Photographers Associations.

In his spare time, Miralle is an elite paddleboard racer placed fifth overall at the Hennessey’s World Championships in 2011, and completing the 20-kilometer Molokai and Catalina Channel Crossing, to raise money and awareness for cancer research. He lives in the San Diego beach community of Leucadia, with his wife Lauren, his two sons Luke and Micah, and their dogs Odie and Frank.