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Associated Press

Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has gone viral on social media for his seemingly casual attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
The most-shared images show Dikec shooting in a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, a seemingly standard pair of glasses and an impassive look on his face. He has been likened to a regular guy competing at the Olympics, or even a hitman.
The 51-year-old is no newcomer, though. He has competed at every Summer Olympics since 2008.
Some memes contrast Dikec with his Serbian opponent Damir Mikec, who was wearing a blinder over one eye, a lens over the other and a large pair of ear defenders.

The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed.
🇰🇷 Kim Yeji 🤝 Yusuf Dikeç 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/gfkyGjFg4I
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 1, 2024

Did Dikec win a medal?
He did, and it made history.
Dikec and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won silver in the mixed team 10m air pistol shooting this week. It was Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting.
Mikec and Zorana Arunovic won gold for Serbia. The bronze went to India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh.
Unlike Dikec, his teammate Tarhan was competing with large-ear defenders and a visor, as well as braids in the red and white colours of the Turkish flag. She was shooting with one hand in her pocket, too.
Dikec was 13th in his event and is now done at the Paris Olympics. He has looking ahead to the next Games in 2028, though. “I hope next in Los Angeles [for] a gold medal,” he said.

What does he think about going viral?
Dikec seems to be embracing the trend, reposting a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram page.
The shooting events were held around a three-hour drive south of Paris. Dikec and Tarhan made the journey to the French capital, where they were greeted with cheers at the Champions Park, an open-air venue where medallists celebrate with fans.
Why did Dikec not wear more gear?
Shooters have some freedom about how they dress for competitions.
Many shooters at the Olympic range in Chateauroux, central France, choose to wear visors to reduce the glare of the lights or so-called blinders over one eye to get a better focus for the eye looking down the sights.
It was not quite true that Dikec was not wearing any shooting gear. He had yellow earplugs to block out distractions while he shot in the final. They just were not visible from the angle of the image which went viral.
Just like Dikec, Chinese rifle shooter Liu Yukun won a gold medal Thursday wearing earplugs but no blinder or visor.
Have other shooters gone viral?
Yes, South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji’s confident demeanour and dramatic stance have brought praise on social media for her “main character energy”.
“The Olympic #shootingsport stars we did not know we needed,” the official Olympics account posted on X on Thursday with pictures of Kim and Dikec.
Kim won silver in the women’s 10m air pistol event on Sunday, behind her South Korean teammate, and roommate, Oh Ye-jin. Kim said she was pleased her counterpart got the gold because she sees her like a “younger sibling”.
Kim is set to compete again on Friday in qualification for the women’s 25m pistol event.


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Who is Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who has gone viral at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

10m air pistol Silver medallists Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec (right). Photo: Reuters

Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic of Serbia (left) and Damir Mikec. Photo: Reuters

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Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

The Buzz

Shooter’s casual attitude and attire sparks social media frenzy after Dikec wins silver with his hand in his pocket


Shooter’s casual attitude and attire sparks social media frenzy after Dikec wins silver with his hand in his pocket.


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Shooter’s casual attitude and attire sparks social media frenzy after Dikec wins silver with his hand in his pocket

Did Dikec win a medal?