Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who made waves at the Olympic Games, has finally spoken out after his rise to internet fame. The 51-year-old, with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won silver in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event on Wednesday in Paris.
Dikec shot to social media fame after a photo circulated of him competing in a shockingly relaxed pose, without typical shooting equipment and with one hand in his pocket.
While many Olympic shooters wear protective ear and eyewear that obscures one eye, it’s not usually at all tinted to reduce glare.
The image was soon awash on social media, with X owner Elon Musk just one of many to reckon on the astonishing moment.
The 51-year-old Turkish athlete Yusuf Dikeç makes a statement about going viral for competing at the Olympics without specialized equipment and winning a silver medal.
“I did not need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter” pic.twitter.com/cTF6dJ2yD5
— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) August 1, 2024
Dikec has now revealed the reasoning behind eschewing the traditionally associated gear in the wake of grabbing global headlines in Tokyo at fifth Olympic Games.
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“I never needed that equipment,” the 51-year-old told Haber Turk. “I’m a natural shooter, so I don’t use many accessories.”
The post racked up well over 6,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
“Give him the gold!!!” one user wrote here. Yusuf Dikec came up just a little short against Serbia in the gold medal game and took silver. Another one wrote, “Oh, he is in his 50’s and just got an Olympic medal. I want to be like that when I am older.”.
He’s winning in so many ways,” said one third user. “He is a legend,” added a fourth.
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