Despite her growing number of accolades, national figure skater turned photojournalist Annice Lyn is far from resting on her laurels—or at all, having just returned home from the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 in Hungary
Former national figure skater turned award-winning sports and documentary photojournalist Annice Lyn has always had a keen sense of empathy—a trait her parents instilled in her at a young age that now serves as an unexpected edge in her work.
Moments big and small, Lyn’s photography is known for its profound humanity; from a young athlete’s determined expression as they ready themselves for the rink, the emotional aftermath of competitions lost and won, to her winning shot of Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova, which landed Lyn gold for the Winter Sports category in the World Sports Photography Award 2023. Trusova, who was performing during the Figure Skating Gala Exhibition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Lyn, now 31, has not only seen three Olympic Games, but has also worked with titles such as TIME, National Geographic, and more. Despite the growing list of accolades, however, it's clear that the photojournalist’s career is decidedly evolving; after working on the recently launched Victoria Secret campaign alongside the Women Photographers Malaysia collective, Lyn was the only Malaysian invited to the inaugural World Athletics Photography Workshop last August, held during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023.
Below, Tatler catches up with Lyn, who details about her experience in Hungary and her thoughts about her winning shot.
Read also: Seeking gender diversity and equality in photography frames opportunities
How was Hungary Annice? Talk to us about your experience at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023.
Would it be alright to say that I was hungry in Hungary? Jokes aside, it’s been amazing, overwhelming and humbling. It was my first time attending the athletics championships, and compared to my previous assignments at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, I got to truly explore the host city in a way I wasn’t able to during the lockdown.
[As a photojournalist], the World Athletics Championships is uncharted territory for me—I found myself needing to learn the many disciplines of sports from scratch and familiarise myself with the movements, just to be able to capture the right moment. Being surrounded by over 200 accredited photographers in the stands definitely made me feel like a lost lamb, stumbling as I walked alongside the giants of the sports photography industry.
