An Air pistol shooter proved sometimes all you need is a man with a slow hand and an easy touch, scoring Turkey a medal at the 2024 Olympics.
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Yusef Dikec, along with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, secured second place in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event, despite Dikec arriving with minimal equipment for the competition.
At 51 years old, Dikec is competing in his fifth Olympic Games, having first appeared at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His silver medal won on Tuesday marks his inaugural medal at the Games.
Dikec went viral on Wednesday when a photo surfaced on social media showing him competing without the specialized goggles or ear-muff-like protection typically worn by Olympic shooting competitors. Instead, he sported regular prescription glasses and earplugs, yet still managed to outshine most of his rivals.
Of course, Dikec’s calm demeanor and secret agent-like appearance made him an instant Olympics internet favorite.
“Make a movie about this man,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Did Turkey send a hitman to the Olympics?”, another watcher quipped.
“Insane aura,” another fan added. “51-year-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.”
The Turkey Olympics Shooter Has a Very Specific Set of Skills…
Joking aside, Dikec’s shooting skills origins are pretty badass.
“I took up shooting sport after I started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie General Command,” Dikec explained in his Olympics profile.
The Gendarmerie General Command is a branch of the Turkish Ministry of Interior tasked with maintaining public order in regions that lie outside the jurisdiction of police forces, primarily in rural areas. Sounds pretty hardcore… maybe they really should make a movie about this guy!
In retrospect, he also revealed a somewhat ironic point of view about motivation. “Success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets,” he insisted in the profile. Hey, but you won a silver medal with one hand in your pocket, you smooth operator!
Meanwhile, Dikec’s countrymen were thrilled with his and his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan’s medal-winning victory. Check out the stone-cold duo soaking up some fanfare below…