An air pistol shooter from Turkey has gone viral on social media for his nonchalant demeanor at the Paris Olympics, where he secured a silver medal.
Yusuf Dikec, 51, appeared casual and calm in multiple images shared online, wearing a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, and an impassive expression on his face.
His calm demeanor during his performance has led many to compare him to just an ordinary guy at the Olympics, while others compared him to a professional assassin.
Moreover, while many of his co-competitors used specialist equipment, such as custom glasses to obscure vision in one eye, tinted glasses, and ear muffs for protection, Dikec wore a standard pair of glasses and a pair of small yellow earplugs.
“I shoot with both eyes, most shooters do it with one. So I didn’t want all that equipment. Shooting with two eyes—I believe that it’s better. I’ve done a lot of research on it, so I didn’t need the equipment,” Dikec told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol.
Having competed at every Summer Olympics since 2008, he and teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting in the 10-meter air pistol shooting on July 30.
The gold medal went to Serbian competitors Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic while Indian competitors Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won bronze.
Dikec has attracted many complimentary words on social media about his performance, praising him for his confidence.
“Top confidence. A hand in the pocket. No specialized lenses, no problem. Too easy for a him,” one comment read.
Dikec’s teammate Tarhan also shot with one hand in her pocket, although she wore large ear defenders and a visor at the event.
Now that his Olympic appearance in Paris has reached the end, after he placed 13th in his individual event, Dikec is bracing himself for an even more remarkable performance at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I hope next in Los Angeles [for] a gold medal,” he said after the event on July 30.
However, Dikec was not the only Olympic competitor who went viral this year. South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji also garnered praise for her confident demeanor and dramatic stance, winning silver at the same event two days prior.
“The Olympic stars we didn’t know we needed,” read a post by the Olympic Games’ official account on X, alongside pictures of Kim and Dikec.
Kim is set to compete again on Aug. 2, in the qualifier for the women’s 25-meter pistol event.
The Associated Press contributed to this article