Yusuf Dikeç: Turkish shooter goes viral at Paris Olympics 2024

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec took the internet by storm after he bagged a silver medal without using specialised equipment at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The 51-year-old was termed an icon after he won a silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event a day earlier.

Dikeç and his partner Şevval İlayda Tarhan were pipped to the gold by Serbian duo Zorana Arunović and Damir Mikec.

Social media users were stunned as he took his shots without using specialised glasses to enhance precision and prevent blurring, along with ear protectors to cancel out noise.

A photo of Yusuf Dikec is making rounds on social media in which he is seen wearing his regular pair of glasses and earplugs without any specialised gear as he puts one hand in his pocket while shooting with the other.

His unconventional and calm approach to the competition has social media users in awe who called him an icon.

While some hailed the Olympian for his calm approach, others resorted to humour to appreciate Dikec for taking on the competition lightly.

The Olympic Games also joined the discussion as it praised the Turkish shooter and South Korea’s Kim Yeji for their unconventional approach to the competition in the Paris Olympics 2024.

“The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed,” it wrote in a post on X.

It is pertinent to mention that Yusuf Dikec is a seasoned Olympian and has represented Turkey in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

A retired non-commissioned officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie, the seasoned sports shooter won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup Final in Thailand in 2012.