Social media exploded over a photo of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec during the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the Paris Olympics. At 51 years old, Dikec and his partner, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, secured the silver medal, but it was Dikec’s unique approach that captured widespread attention.
The image showing Dikec competing in an unusually relaxed manner, with one hand in his pocket and lacking standard shooting gear, went viral. Unlike most Olympic shooters, who use ear protection and specialized glasses to block vision in one eye and reduce glare, Dikec’s casual style stood out. A fan tweeted, “Turkey sent a 51-year-old dude with no specialized lenses, eye cover, or ear protection, and secured the silver medal.” Billionaire Elon Musk responded with a simple, “Nice.”
In the final match, Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec clinched the gold medal, defeating the Turkish duo 16-14 at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre. Despite a slow start, Tarhan and Dikec managed to build an 8-4 lead and were close to victory at 14-12. However, Arunovic and Mikec made a remarkable comeback to win the gold.
The fact that the Turkey veteran won an Olympic silver medal wearing his regular glasses instead of specialised lenses made him a cult figure on the internet, with fans calling him a ‘professional hitman’.
