In one of the more entertaining twists of the 2024 Paris Olympic games, a dressed-down 51-year-old shooter from Turkey has become an internet sensation almost overnight. After taking silver in the 10m mixed air pistol event on Tuesday, Yusuf Dikeç and his teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan joined a select rank of Olympians (and became the first Turkish shooters in the nation’s history) who’ve brought medals back to their home country.
But it’s Dikeç’s casual style and nonchalant attitude that has made him an internet legend. A single screenshot of him taking aim with one hand stuffed in his pocket (which is a common posture in this event as it enhances stability) will likely go down as the most memorable photo taken during this year’s Olympic shooting events.
In the photograph, which has generated more memes than a grumpy house cat, Dikeç puts off what can only be described as an aura — one that is equal parts “casual hitman” and “average Joe.” Countless social media commenters have speculated that he’s almost certainly a trained government assassin. The fact that he’s retired from the Turkish military has only fueled these suspicions.
“Because winning gold is too obvious,” one Instagram user wrote.
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One of the best parts about Dikeç’s medal-winning performance — and a large part of his internet fame, as it were — is the stark difference between him and the rest of the field. He didn’t rely on the specialized glasses, newfangled earmuffs, and other shooting accessories that nearly every other modern-day Olympic pistol shooter uses. (At the opposite end of this scale was South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji, who looked decidedly like a futuristic Bond villain as she took silver at a separate air pistol event on Sunday.)
Competing against a crowded field of mostly younger shooters, Dikeç wore jeans, a t-shirt, a normal pair of eyeglasses, and basic foam earplugs — and he shot with the best of them.
Photo via Facebook
“I did not need special equipment,” he reportedly told a member of the Turkish media. “I’m a natural, a natural shooter.”
Going into a bit more detail with Turkish news outlet Radyo Gol, the veteran shooter explained part of his approach to the sport. Regardless of the “just came out of the crowd” comments the famous photo has generated, Dikeç has competed at every summer Olympics since 2008, and he’s won seven European Championships.
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“I shoot with two eyes, most shooters do it with one,” Dikeç said in the translated interview. “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.”
Dikeç also said that shooting with one hand in his pocket wasn’t a statement but rather part of his technique.
“Shooting with my hand in my pocket has nothing to do with artistry,” he said, adding that his stance “is actually about bringing the body to equilibrium and focusing and concentrating.”
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