Award-winning former Independent chief sports activities photographer David Ashdown dies aged 75

The Independent’s former chief sports activities photographer David Ashdown has died aged 75.

Tributes have been paid to the award-winning photojournalist, with The Independent’s editor-in-chief Geordie Greig highlighting his “skill and dignity”.

Ashdown started his profession as a motorbike messenger at Keystone Press in 1968, taking footage of pop teams and bike racing throughout his evenings and weekends, earlier than later protecting sport and information on the Daily Star from 1978.

He joined The Independent at its launch in 1986, turning into its chief sports activities photographer. He ended up working for the paper proper up till his retirement, after the London Olympics in 2012, and is believed to have been the longest-serving employees sports activities photographer throughout all the newspapers on the time.

The famend photojournalist gained numerous awards throughout his time at The Independent, together with European Sports Photographer of the Year 1993, SJA Sports Photographer of the Year 1987 and 1990, and International Olympic Committee Best of Sport Award 1990, amongst many others.

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During a profession that spanned greater than 4 many years, Ashdown’s material was broad and diverse. He was with the Royal Navy in HMS Maxton on the Suez Canal in 1973 whereas it was clearing ordnance after the Yom Kippur battle between Egypt and Israel; 4 years later, he was protecting the Queen’s silver jubilee.

But sport was an space of explicit curiosity to Ashdown, who photographed all the world’s biggest sporting occasions over the course of his 43-year profession, protecting eight Olympic Games, 40 Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and 1000’s of soccer, rugby and cricket matches.

In Barcelona in 1992, he famously shot from an unofficial place to seize Linford Christie’s historic victory within the 100m from a singular angle. After the success of this shot, he later snapped Usain Bolt crossing the end line in his historic 100m win on the Beijing Olympics in 2008, additionally from an unofficial place.

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Ashdown photographed the Ashes take a look at matches, reportedly resulting in him incomes the nickname “Splashdown”, after the title of an iconic {photograph} he took throughout the 4th Test Match between England and Australia in 2005 at The Oval, displaying England gamers sliding throughout a waterlogged discipline as they celebrated a wicket within the rain.

In 2012, The Independent revealed a characteristic titled ‘Hot shots worth a thousand words’ to have fun 25 years of Ashdown’s distinctive work for the publication.

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His daughter Libby informed The Independent her father had sadly handed away on 23 December 2025, having simply turned 75.

Paying tribute, Mr Greig mentioned: “David was a significant and memorable photographer who was there right from the dawn of The Independent. He made his mark and achieved deserved acclaim as well as great affection from his colleagues. His prizes and awards speak for themselves. I salute David’s skill and dignity and decency, all key qualities in life, and of which he had plenty.”