Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec, pictured competing in the 10m air pistol mixed team gold medal match at the Chateauroux Shooting Center on Tuesday, went viral for looking relaxed.
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Alain Jocard / AFP
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The Olympic shooter has gotten a lot of attention for its cyberpunk-looking gear. But there are those who stand out because of their lower-tech displays – and in fact they get the podium.
On Tuesday, Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec took the silver medal in the air pistol mixed team competition, and quickly became famous online. Quality wins, the internet decides, it doesn’t seem to care.
While many of Dikec’s competitors wear big ear protectors, visors and sci fi-esque shooting glasses, he plays differently with regular glasses and earmuffs that are almost invisible.
Wearing a jersey that looks like a regular T-shirt, and taking it with his free hand tucked into his pants pocket, the 51-year-old gives off an incredible vibe.
So casual, in fact, that many social media users jokingly wondered if Turkey had sent hitmen to the Olympics. Some praise the aura as “infinite,” others as “insane.”
“We need you to come out of retirement for one last job.”
“WHO?”
“Not who, where. Olympics, in France. You’re definitely the best shooter.” pic.twitter.com/4yZhElPSRA
— @goth (@goth600) August 1, 2024
And many have drawn a contrast between Dikec and South Korean shooter Kim Yeji, whose futuristic aesthetic and no-nonsense attitude made him an overnight style sensation earlier this week.
Memes joked that both embodied in the contrast between Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel, men vs. women packing for a trip and anime protagonist vs. recently divorced engineer, to name a few.
“South Korea sends full cast for Olympic shooting,” read one viral tweet. “Turkey sent (a) person without special lenses, blindfolds or earplugs and got a silver medal.”
Dikec and his teammate, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won silver in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol, bringing Turkey its first medal at the Olympics.
He placed 13th in the individual event, and is already looking forward to the next Olympics.
“I hope next time in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he said afterward, according to the Associated Press.
The former officer loves dancing and cats
This is Dikec’s fifth Olympics – he has competed in the shooting event at every Summer Olympics since 2008.
He is also a seven-time European champion and a 2014 double world champion in the 25m standard pistol and 25m middle pistol, according to his Olympic biography.
Bio Dikec says he took up shooting in 2001 after he started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie General Command (an armed law enforcement organization in Turkey).
His current occupation is listed as “athlete,” and EuroNews reports that he is retired from the Gendarmerie.
Dikec lists exactly one hobby on his bio page: dancing. He’s also a cat lover, as social media sleuths quickly discovered.
His philosophy is, ironically, “Success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets.”
Her unique style is a personal choice
Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec pose with the Turkish flag and silver medal under the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday.
Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
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Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
Shooting glasses — a combo of adjustable lenses, mechanical irises and blinders that can help athletes perform better — have become standard in recent years, though clearly not all athletes need to use them.
Dikec told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol that while most shooters use one eye, he prefers to use both.
“Shooting with two eyes – I believe it’s better,” he said, according to a translation from CNN. “I’ve done a lot of research on this, so I don’t need the equipment.”
Chinese rifle shooter Liu Yukun won the gold medal Thursday wearing the same set of gear, the AP notes — just earmuffs, no blinders or visors.
And Dikec is not the only athlete who shoots with the other hand in the pocket. He told the radio station that he felt more energetic and comfortable.
Posture “is really about bringing your body into balance and focus and concentration,” he says.
Dikec seems to have taken the social media star by storm, reposting a few memes to his Instagram page (and, of course, a photo of his silver medal). He also continues to defend his style.
EuroNews reported that he told the Turkish press: “I don’t need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter.”
