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The now internet-famous Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec delivered a savage response to those questioning his gearless look during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I did not need special equipment,” Dikec said, per EuroNews. “I’m a natural, a natural shooter.”
Dikec, 51, who has competed in every Summer Olympics since 2008, went viral on social media this week with his seemingly casual approach — both stylistically and attitude-wise — en route to a silver medal in the air pistol team event at the 2024 Games.
Yusuf Dikec of Turkey competing in the 10m air pistol mixed team gold medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
AFP via Getty Images
While many shooters wear visors, ear protectors or special glasses, Dikec wore a pair of regular specs with no hat and just a pair of ear plugs to protect his hearing — a look that could have easily fit right in among the spectators.
Dikec and teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan’s medal win was Turkey’s first-ever in Olympic shooting.
The 51-year-old finished 13th in the individual event to conclude his Paris Olympics campaign.
Shooting mixed silver medallists Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec pose with their medals and the flag of Turkey.
REUTERS
He had some fun with newfound fame, reposting a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram page.
The Turkish shooter wasn’t the only Olympian in the niche sport to become an internet sensation during these Summer Games.
South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji’s confident demeanor and dramatic stance have also become a meme of its own.
“The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed,” the official Olympics account on X posted Thursday with pictures of Kim and Dikec.
Kim won silver in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event on Sunday behind her South Korean teammate Oh Ye Jin.