- Photo of Olympic shooter goes viral after competition
- Yusuf Dikec, 51, represented Turkey in the 10-meter air pistol event
Olympic fans have been left in an uproar on social media over a photo of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec competing in the mixed 10m air pistol team event in Paris.
The 51-year-old and his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won the silver medal, but it was Dikec’s unconventional approach to the competition that made his image go viral.
Dikec rose to fame after a photo of him competing in an unusually relaxed manner, without the typical shooting equipment and with one hand in his pocket, was shared on social media.
Most shooters at the Olympics use ear protection when shooting and wear special glasses that obscure the vision in one eye so competitors don’t have to keep it closed, and sometimes have tinted lenses to help with glare.
“Turkey sent a 51-year-old man with no special glasses, eye protection or ear protection and he secured the silver medal,” one fan posted on X, to which billionaire Elong Musk replied: “Awesome.”
“I know a trained killer when I see one,” another joked.
“Did Türkiye send a hitman to the Olympics?” posted another.
A fourth wrote: “Government of Türkiye: we have a different job for you this week.”
Turkish silver medallist Yusuf Dikec (pictured), 51, has gone viral for his incredibly relaxed preparation and attitude at the Paris Games.
Dikec, along with his teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won the silver medal in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event.
Some commentators joked that Dikec looked like a killer with his cold display.
Social media was flooded with comments like the one shown in the image above.
Sports fans thought Dikec looked like she had won silver after coming into the event with no prior experience.
Dikec is in his fifth Olympics, and he and his partner narrowly missed out on the gold medal with a final score of 16-14.
The viral image comes after South Korean Kim Ye-ji was dubbed “the coolest person in the world” during her photo event.
The 31-year-old shooter won a silver medal on Sunday in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event when she finished just behind compatriot Oh Ye-jin.
But it was Kim’s style as much as her precision that really impressed viewers.
Kim was widely described as “badass” as she sported a pair of custom-made shooting glasses and a white baseball cap, while carrying her daughter’s stuffed elephant in her right hand.
South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji competing at the Olympics on Sunday. She went viral this week for barely reacting after winning gold and setting a world record in May.
Since Kim won her first Olympic medal on Sunday, images of her in action at May’s Shooting World Cup in Baku have gone viral on social media.
The video in question shows Kim winning gold in Baku in the 25m pistol competition, setting a new world record in the process.
Commenting on the viral video, one viewer wrote: “This is the coolest thing anyone has ever looked while breaking a world record.”
Another replied: “This is the coldest shit. I’m obsessed.”
A third comment read: “And she’s just so nonchalant about it, oh she’s the coldest main character ever.”