"Did Turkey send a hitman to the Olympics?" - Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec becomes internet sensation after winning silver medal without lenses
Turkish 10m air pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec emerged as an internet sensation after winning the silver medal in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. A picture of Yusuf Dikec taking aim at the target without glasses and with limited gear went viral.
However, other shooters participating in the 10m air pistol mixed team competition came out with specialized gear, including special lenses to avoid blurriness and ear protectors for noise reduction.
Interestingly, the Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec came out casually with prescription glasses and normal earplugs, aiming at the target with one hand in his pocket. He went on to clinch the silver medal with his mixed team partner after losing the gold-medal match 14-16 to Serbia's Zorana Arunović and Damir Mikec.
This sent the social media into a tizzy.
“I know everyone is loving the South Korean pistol shooter in the Olympics with robocop vibes. I present you the Turkish pistol shooter. 51 years old. Flip flops, hands in pocket. He would’ve lit a cigarette if he could. My vibe. (He got🥈btw),” a user tweeted.
“Did Turkey send a hitman to the Olympics?,” another tweet read.
“I love how everyone uses specialized lenses for shooting to avoid blur and increase precision... But then Turkey sends out a guy who looks like he just picked up the gun for fun and wins silver,” another user posted on X.
“In Olympic shooting, they use equipment like: > A lens to avoid blur > A lens for better precision > ear protectors for noise Then a Turkish guy (Dikeç) came and won a silver medal with just a pair of GLASSES,” a tweet from Turkish Archives read.
“Turkey sent a 51 yr old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal,” another netizen tweeted.
Who is Yusuf Dikec?
Dikec is competing in his fifth Olympics in Paris. Previously he was part of the Beijing Games 2008, London Games 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
At the World Shooting Championships in 2014, he emerged as a double world champion, winning both 25m standard pistol and 25m center fire pistol events. Furthermore, he won the silver medal in the 10m air pistol event.
Additionally, at the European Shooting Championships, he has bagged seven titles, including a win in the air pistol trio event in 2024.