‘Cool’ Turkish marksman unruffled by viral Olympic fame

PARIS: A Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist said Thursday he was unfazed by his new-found fame, after his casual style with no headwear and a hand in his pocket made him an overnight Internet sensation.

Yusuf Dikec and partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won silver on Tuesday for Turkey in the mixed team 10m air pistol, losing to Serbia in the gold medal match.

But it was Dikec´s posture that caught attention as much as the result, with the marksman wearing standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually slung in his pocket. Other than his pistol, he notably had none of the specialised equipment used by athletes in the hyper-precise event, like headphones, special lenses or a hat.

“Be cool like Yusuf Dikec. Congratulations on winning the silver medal in such a cool way,” France´s embassy to Turkey wrote in a post on X in Turkish. “The name´s Dikec. Yusuf Dikec,” said posts by other users in reference to cinema icon James Bond. Some memes added a cigarette to his mouth to emphasise the relaxed posture.

Speaking to Turkish channel TGRT Haber, Dikec acknowledged that he had adopted the rare technique of shooting with both eyes open whereas most athletes keep one closed or obscured. “My shooting technique is one of the rare shooting techniques in the world. I shoot with both eyes open. Even the referees are surprised by this,” he said. He said winning a medal was no surprise as “this year we prepared a lot and worked a lot... this success belongs to all of Turkey.”