The 2024 Paris Olympics have been quite eventful, and one person who went viral on social media is participant Yusuf Dikeç. The shooter had tongues wagging due to his casual attitude during the competition. Let’s get to know him better.
Yusuf Dikeç, a Turkish Olympic silver medalist shooter who shoots without special equipment, after arriving at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkiye, on August 1, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
Who Is the Viral Pistol Shooter?
Dikeç was Turkey’s secret weapon at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The pistol shooter went viral for appearing too calm while partaking in a contest. He has since garnered attention as a social media meme, with some showing him in contrast to Serbia’s shooter Damir Mikec.
While Dikeç looked super casual in a white Olympics T-shirt, black pants, and what appeared to be a standard pair of glasses, he sported a cold, almost bored look on his face. The shooter looked as if he knew he would win a medal regardless of his actions.
Yusuf Dikeç competes in the shooting 10m air pistol mixed team match at the Paris Olympic Games on July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France | Source: Getty Images
The Turkish man didn’t have the normal noise-canceling and buffering headsets like the other contestants; he wore normal earplugs. With one hand in his pocket as he aimed, people likened him to a hitman or a regular guy.
Mikec, on the other hand, wore shooter glasses that had a lens over one eye and a blinder over the other. He also wore a large pair of ear protectors.
While some might believe that Dikeç is a newcomer to the sport and the Olympics, he’s been around for a long time.
Yusuf Dikeç poses for a photo at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey on August 1, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
The 51-year-old has actually been at all the Summer Olympic Games since 2008. His cool, calm, and collected attitude landed him an impressive Olympic silver medal in Paris. He and his teammate, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, took home the medal after competing in a mixed team 10-meter air pistol shooting competition on July 30, 2024.
The win was significant for his country as it was its first Olympic shooting medal. In contrast to her teammate, Tarhan competed while wearing a visor, ear protectors, and what appeared to be the same glasses as Dikeç’s.
She also had her hand in her pocket while shooting her pistol. Her teammate was competing in his 13th individual event and has now finished participating at the Paris Olympic Games. In the next section, we look at the different reactions and comments garnered by the competitor’s attitude and appearance.
Social Media Reacts to Dikeç
On July 31, 2024, an X account shared a side-by-side comparison of Dikeç’s stance against South Korea’s Kim Yeji. The South Korean shooter appeared in a short video wearing the same shooter glasses as Mikec. She also wore ear protectors, a black backward cap, and all-black attire.
I think I’m gonna have to take a closer look at the Olympic Pistol competition
First we got South Korean Kim Yeji. Who’s a total badass. Then comes Turkish competitor Yusuf Dikeç. Who casually goes out and wins the Silver with one hand in his pocket! pic.twitter.com/uPbcwYhnzD
— Bacula8630 (@bacula8630) July 31, 2024
Yeji had the same calm demeanor as Dikeç, making pistol shooting look cool. Opposite her clip was Turkey’s shooter in a picture where his arm was stretched out, ready to shoot. The X user captioned the post saying, “I think I’m gonna have to take a closer look at the Olympic Pistol competition. First, we got South Korean Kim Yeji, who’s a total badass.”
The social media user continued, “Then comes Turkish competitor Yusuf Dikeç, who casually goes out and wins the Silver with one hand in his pocket!” Yeji went viral at the Paris Olympics for the same reason as Dikeç.
He doesn’t need Gun either for shooting. 😁 pic.twitter.com/mnNU4jEPtL
— Raviraj Raikar (@raikarraviraj) August 1, 2024
On August 1, 2024, the official Olympics account took to X with images of Yeji and Dikeç’s photos. The caption read, “The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed.” Another X user was also amused by Dikeç.
The person wrote alongside his viral image, “Turkey sent a 51 yr old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover, or ear protection and got the silver medal.” The same social media user added, “TO CLARIFY THINGS. He won silver in the team competition as part of the Turkish team. Not in the solo competition.”
Turkey sent a 51 yr old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal pic.twitter.com/sFKcsRzvrw
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) July 31, 2024
In a post showing Dikeç’s photo next to another contestant, the same netizen called the Turk a “legend.” A sports lover also shared the same picture of the Turkish man and gushed over his impressive shooting.
The social media user wrote, “Insane aura: 51-yr old Yusuf Dikec of Turkey shows up to the Olympics for shooting without special lenses… without ear protection… hand in his pocket & both eyes open… and casually takes home a silver medal.” Dikeç has since reacted to going viral.
The Reason behind Dikeç’s Viral Olympic Look
After winning their Olympic medal, Dikeç and Tarhan were interviewed by a Turkish news station. Dikeç said they won silver because they trained and prepared well. He revealed that they came first in February 2024 at Brazil’s World Cup, and in June, they were at the World Cup in Germany.
Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikeç of Team Turkey pose on the podium during the Shooting 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team medal ceremony at the Paris Olympic Games on July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France | Source: Getty Images
In 2023, he and Tarhan were at the World Championship. Speaking about missing out on the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, the athlete said the accolade escaped them at the last moment. He felt luck wasn’t on their side this time around.
Yusuf Dikeç and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan talking to a news station in a post uploaded on July 30, 2024 | Source: YouTube/Habertürk TV
Tarhan said they were happy with the win but wanted gold. When asked about his viral picture and why he didn’t wear special equipment for the shooting event, Dikeç explained, “I swear to God, I never needed that special equipment.”
He added, “I am a natural shooter. That’s why I don’t use many accessories.” His plan for the future is to get the gold medal. Dikeç appeared to have embraced his viral status as he reposted a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram.
Yusuf Dikeç and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan talking to a news station in a post uploaded on July 30, 2024 | Source: YouTube/Habertürk TV
According to reports, shooters aren’t forced to dress in one particular way for their competitions. Many Olympic shooters in the Chateauroux, France shooting range wore visors to lessen the glare from the lights. The blinders over one eye also helped them focus better with the exposed eye.
Dikeç actually had some shooting gear on, like the yellow earplugs he wore during the final. They weren’t that visible because of the angle of the viral image. Liu Yukun, a Chinese rifle shooter, also wore earplugs but no visor or blinder when he won gold on August 1, 2024. The Serbians that competed against the Turkish pair took home the coveted prize.
Who Took the Gold for Shooting at the Olympics?
Speaking to the press on July 30, Dikeç said he looked forward to the 2028 Olympic Games. The athlete shared, “I hope next in Los Angeles [for] a gold medal.” During his joint interview with Tarhan, Dikeç told the Turkish news that he’s become friends with the Serbians who took the gold.
He joked that he told them he and Tarhan will be collecting the medal when they meet at the next event in Los Angeles. The competitor vowed to continue participating in the sport as long as their health allowed them to.
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won the bronze Olympic medal for India while Mikec and Zorana Arunovic took the gold for Serbia. The win is significant for Mikec and his teammate because, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the pair came fourth.
They were initially 8-2 down against Dikeç and his partner but recovered well with a score of 16-14 to beat the Turkish duo. Mikec and Arunovic were thrilled by their win and celebrated by hugging while lying on the floor. Let’s look a little bit deeper into Yeji going viral.
The Olympic Shooter who first went Viral
During the women’s 10-meter air pistol event on July 28, 2024, Yeji won silver. Her teammate, Oh Ye Jin, 19, won gold. Yeji, also Jin’s Olympic Village roommate, said she was “extra happy” that her teammate took the medal because she sees her as her “youngest sibling.”
The 31-year-old revealed that she always wants to care for Jin and vowed to be there for her. She explained that she doesn’t see Jin as her rival and is pleased that they won gold and silver at a big event like the Olympics.
Kim Yeji and Oh Ye Jin celebrate after the Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final at the Paris Olympic Games on July 28, 2024, in Chateauroux, France | Source: Getty Images
The shooter concluded, “When we won these medals, we were so proud we are Koreans.” On August 2, 2024, Yeji competed again, trying to qualify for the women’s 25-meter pistol event.
The sharpshooter’s August appearance isn’t the one that made her go viral on social media; instead, it’s the same one shared above in the July 2024 post. The clip is actually from May 2024 when she competed in Azerbaijan.
The most "Main Character Energy" I've ever seen in my life.pic.twitter.com/ExuXVxB3VB
— Del Walker 🇵🇸 (@TheCartelDel) July 30, 2024
At the time, the older video circulated on X, gaining millions of views. The shooter glasses she wore are specialist eyewear that assists athletes in focusing on the target. She wore black and white Sauer shooting shoes, a black Fila jacket, and matching pants, and held a stuffed toy elephant affixed to a towel against her hip as she competed.
What got people’s attention the most was how relaxed she looked, almost like a villain in a movie, and she barely reacted after firing her pistol. That shot helped her set a new world record. After taking her shot, Yeji flipped her glasses’ blinder lens up and stared directly at the camera as if she’d planned it.
the most aura I have ever seen in an image pic.twitter.com/HHo8yCV5O4
— Women Posting W's (@womenpostingws) July 30, 2024
Like the cool character she is, she glanced at the nearby screen. Yeji also appeared in another photo shared by an X account. In the image, she stood leaning back with one hand resting lazily on her hip while she held her pistol with the other one.
Her ponytail peeked out from the back of her cap and the post’s caption read, “The most aura I have ever seen in an image.” Responding to the post, someone with insight wrote, “The elephant doll is her daughter’s one. She is a true mother.”
いや、女子25mピストルで世界新記録を取ったキム・イェジ選手、カッコ良すぎるでしょ！？
漫画！？ pic.twitter.com/TNNWfFilFL
— レモンパイパイちゃん🍋 (@lemonpie0720) July 30, 2024
Even X’s owner, Elon Musk, got into the mix, writing that the shooter “should be cast in an action movie.” Despite this being her first time as an Olympian, Yeji has made history and attracted lots of fans.