An air pistol shooter from Turkey has gone famous on social media for his laid-back attitude during the Paris Olympics, where he won a silver medal.
Yusuf Dikec, 51, seemed casual and relaxed in many photos posted online, wearing a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket and an emotionless expression on his face.
His calm manner throughout his performance has caused many to compare him to an ordinary Olympic athlete, while others have compared him to a professional assassin.
Furthermore, whereas many of his opponents utilized specialized equipment, such as bespoke spectacles to obstruct vision in one eye, tinted glasses, and ear muffs for protection, Dikec used regular glasses and a pair of little yellow earplugs.
“I shoot with both eyes, most shooters do it with one. So I didn’t want all that equipment. Shooting with two eyes—I believe that it’s better. I’ve done a lot of research on it, so I didn’t need the equipment,” Dikec told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol.
On July 30, he and partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won Turkey's first Olympic shooting medal in the 10-meter air pistol shooting, after competing at every Summer Olympics since 2008.
Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic of Serbia won the gold medal, while Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh of India took bronze.
Dikec has received many positive comments on social media after his performance, applauding him for his confidence.
"High confidence. A hand in a pocket. No need to use specialist lenses. "Too easy for him," one commenter said.
Tarhan, Dikec's teammate, likewise shot with one hand in her pocket, despite wearing huge ear defenders and a visor to the tournament.
Now that his Olympic debut in Paris has come to an end, having finished 13th in his individual event, Dikec is preparing for an even more impressive performance at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I hope next in Los Angeles [for] a gold medal,” he said after the event on July 30.
However, Dikec was not the only Olympic competitor who went viral this year. South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji also garnered praise for her confident demeanor and dramatic stance, winning silver at the same event two days prior.
“The Olympic stars we didn’t know we needed,” read a post by the Olympic Games’ official account on X, alongside pictures of Kim and Dikec.
Kim is set to compete again on Aug. 2, in the qualifier for the women’s 25-meter pistol event.
