Who is Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who went viral at the 2024 Olympics?
Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has gone viral on social media for his seemingly casual attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. The most-shared images show Dikec shooting in a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, wearing a seemingly standard pair of glasses and maintaining an impassive look on his face. He’s been likened to a regular guy competing at the Olympics or even a hitman.
The 51-year-old is no newcomer, having competed at every Summer Olympics since 2008. Some memes contrast Dikec with his Serbian opponent Damir Mikec, who wore a blinder over one eye, a lens over the other, and a large pair of ear defenders.
Dikec won a historical silver medal in mixed team 10-meter air pistol shooting alongside Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, marking Turkey’s first-ever Olympic medal in shooting. Mikec and Zorana Arunovic won gold for Serbia, while the bronze went to India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh. Unlike Dikec, his teammate Tarhan used large ear defenders and a visor, sporting braids in the red and white colors of the Turkish flag while shooting with one hand in her pocket.
Dikec finished 13th in his individual event and is now looking forward to the next Games in 2028. “I hope next in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he said. Embracing his newfound viral fame, Dikec reposted a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram page.
The shooting events took place around three hours’ drive south of Paris, and Dikec and Tarhan traveled to the French capital to celebrate their achievement with fans at the Champions Park.
Shooters have some freedom in how they dress for competition. While many choose to wear visors or blinders for better focus, it’s not quite true that Dikec wasn’t wearing any shooting gear. He had yellow earplugs to block out distractions, which weren’t visible from the viral image’s angle.
Just like Dikec, Chinese rifle shooter Liu Yukun won a gold medal without using a blinder or visor. South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji also gained attention for her confident demeanor and dramatic stance, being praised on social media for her “main character energy.” Kim won silver in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event and will compete again in the women’s 25-meter pistol event.