Turkish Olympic Shooter Goes Viral For Competing With Limited Gear & One Hand In Pocket
He and his partner won silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event! Imagine if he had worn all the gear. ( ͡º ꒳ ͡º)
By Yap Wan Xiang — 01 Aug 2024, 04:50 PM
If you are looking for the coolest, most composed, and unperturbed athlete in the Paris 2024 Olympics, it must be Turkish air pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec
With one hand in his pocket, he looked unfazed by the gravity of the event and seemed to be there just to shoot some cardboard.
Dikec went viral yesterday, 31 July, after photos of him competing in the 10m air pistol mixed team event without wearing specialised goggles or ear protection surfaced on X.
Most shooters at the event wear these two pieces of gear to prevent hearing discomfort and glare during the competition.
But suave Dikec did not need any of those. With just his prescription glasses and simple earplugs, the 51-year-old shot his way to the silver medal with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.
Sevval Ilayda Tarhan (left) also had her left hand in her pocket while competing at the 10m air pistol mixed team event in the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Deols, France on Tuesday, 30 July, with her partner Yusuf Dikec.
Image via Amr Alfiky/Reuters
Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec (right) won silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Tuesday, 30 July.
Image via Amr Alfiky/ReutersThe Internet has called him everything from an assassin and hitman to "someone who just came out of the crowd". Photos of him have gone viral with millions of views on X.
The standard stance for air pistol shooting involves standing slightly sideways to the target, holding the pistol with one hand, and keeping the other hand by their side or tucked into a belt for balance and stability.
As much as we like to believe that Dikec is a secret government agent sharpshooter, he is actually an athlete who has participated in the Olympics five times
He made his Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and his silver medal win on Tuesday, 30 July, was his first-ever podium finish, reported USA Today.
He and Tarhan gave their Serbian opponents a difficult match, narrowly missing out on the gold medal with a final score of 16-14.
Dikec went viral after South Korean Kim Ye-ji was dubbed 'the coolest person ever' during the 10m air pistol women's event.
Just like Dikec, Kim was photographed with her left hand in her pocket during the competition.
