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

The Independent’s editor-in-chief Geordie Greig leads tributes to the award-winning photojournalist

The Independent ’s former chief sports photographer David Ashdown has died aged 75 (©David Ashdown 2017 and The Independent Newspaper)

The Independent’s former chief sports 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 began his career as a motorcycle messenger at Keystone Press in 1968, taking pictures of pop groups and motorcycle racing during his evenings and weekends, before later covering sport and news at The Daily Star from 1978.

It was at the launch of The Independent in 1986, that he joined the title, becoming their chief sports photographer. He ended up working for the paper right up until his retirement, after the London Olympics in 2012, and is believed to have been the longest-serving staff sports photographer across all of the newspapers at the time.

The renowned photojournalist won countless awards during his time at The Independent, including 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, among many others.

Andrew Strauss catches Adam Gilchrist off Freddie Flintoff’s bowling during the fourth Ashes Test, Trent Bridge, August 2005 (©David Ashdown 2017 and The Independent Newspaper)

During a career that spanned more than four decades, Ashdown’s subject matter was broad and varied. He was with the Royal Navy in HMS Maxton on the Suez Canal in 1973 while it was clearing ordnance after the Yom Kippur War between Egypt and Israel; four years later, he was covering the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.

But sport was an area of particular interest to Ashdown, who photographed all of the world’s greatest sporting events over the course of his 43-year career, covering eight Olympic Games, 40 Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and thousands of football, rugby and cricket matches.

In Barcelona in 1992, he famously shot from an unofficial position to capture Linford Christie’s historic victory in the 100m from a unique angle. After the success of this shot, he later snapped Usain Bolt crossing the finish line in his historic 100m win at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, also from an unofficial position.

Usain Bolt winning the 100m at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 – another picture Ashdown took from an unofficial position after his legendary 1992 shot (©David Ashdown 2017 and The Independent Newspaper)

Ashdown photographed the Ashes test matches, reportedly leading to him earning the nickname “Splashdown”, after the title of an iconic photograph he took during the 4th Test Match between England and Australia in 2005 at The Oval, showing England players sliding across a waterlogged field as they celebrated a wicket in the rain.

In 2012, The Independent published a feature titled ‘Hot Shots worth a Thousand Words’ to celebrate 25 years of Ashdown’s exceptional work for the publication.

Sport was an area of particular interest to Ashdown, who photographed all of the world’s greatest sporting events over the course of his 43-year career (©David Ashdown 2017 and The Independent Newspaper)

His daughter Libby told The Independent her father had sadly passed away on 23 December 2025, having just turned 75.

Paying tribute, Mr Greig said: “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.”