Who is Yusuf Dikec? All you need to know about the Turkish shooter who won silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Yusuf Dikec is a Turkish shooter who has won the silver medal for his country. The shooter recently went viral because of his confident appearance during the competition and his casual attitude during the last game.
The most shared image of Yusuf is in a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, sporting a pair of glasses with a confident look on his face.
The Turkish shooter is not a new face at the Olympics. He has been competing in the Olympics since 2008 and has participated in every Summer Olympics. His contrasting appearance to his Siberian opponent - Damir Mikec, who won gold in the competition, has become the talk of the town.
Yusuf was not wearing any particular gear while Mikec was wearing a blinder over one eye, a lens on the other, and a large ear defender.
A look at Yusuf Dikec's career in shooting
Born in Taşoluk village of Göksun district in Kahramanmaraş Province, Yusuf is a retired non-commissioned officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie and also a member of Jandarma Gücü Sports Club.
His career in shooting started in 2001, and since then, he has been part of the military and national teams in various competitions.
In 2006, Yusuf set up a world record in 25 m center-fire pistol at the CISM Military World Championship by scoring 597 points. It was his first ever gold medal and Yusuf's career has been on the rise ever since.
In 2013, Yusuf Dikec made headlines by winning three gold for Turkey during the European Championships at Osijek. He won gold for the 25 m c-f pistol, 25 m std pistol, and 25 m c-f pistol teams.
At the ISSF World Championships in 2014 at Granada, Yusuf Dikec again came out on top with two gold medals for the 25 m c-f pistol and 25 m std pistol events.
Yusuf's career took a dip after 2013 as he was unable to win any medals in the competition on the global stage. However, the year 2021 saw him rising through the ranks again.
During the European Championships in Osijek, Croatia in 2021, Yusuf clinched a bronze medal in the 10 m pistol team. At the ISSF World Championships in 2023 at Baku, he won a silver medal for the 10 m air pistol Mixed team.
Yusuf definitely made headlines for his appearance during the Paris Olympics 2024 but he added a silver medal for his country in the 10 m air pistol Mixed team.