Olympic Games fans have gone into meltdown on social media over a photo of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec participating in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event in Paris. The 51-year-old, along with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won the silver medal, but it was Dikec's unconventional style of competition that has made his photo go viral.
Dikec gained widespread attention after a photo surfaced showing him competing in an unusually relaxed manner, without standard shooting gear, and with one hand in his pocket. At the Olympic Games, most shooters wear an ear protection and use specialized glasses that block vision in one eye, allowing them to keep it open.
Star in His Own Right
These glasses often have tinted lenses to reduce glare. However, Dikec wasn't wearing any of the gear. He was wearing his own regular glasses and was also not having any ear protection. He looked casual with one hand in his pocket as he took aim.
"Turkey sent a 51-year-old dude with no specialized lenses, eye cover, or ear protection, and secured the silver medal," wrote one fan on X - to which billionaire Elon Musk responded, "Nice."
"I know a trained assassin when I see one," joked another.
"Turkey Government: We have a different kind of job for you this week," wrote a third commentator.
"Did Turkey send a hitman to the Olympics?" remarked yeat another person.
Dikec, competing in his fifth Olympic Games, and his partner narrowly missed out on the gold medal, ending with a final score of 16-14.
The viral photo follows the buzz around South Korean shooter Kim Ye-ji, who was celebrated as "the coolest person ever" during her event.
The 31-year-old pistol shooter won silver in the women's 10-meter air pistol event, finishing just behind her fellow countrywoman Oh Ye-jin.
Olympic Shooters Go Viral
Kim's style was as impressive as her shooting precision. She was widely admired for her 'badass' look, sporting custom shooting glasses and a white baseball cap, while holding her daughter's stuffed toy elephant in her non-shooting hand.
Since Kim won her first Olympic medal on Sunday, a video of her from the shooting World Cup in Baku this past May has gone viral on social media.
The footage captures Kim winning gold in Baku in the 25m pistol event and setting a new world record in the process.
One viewer commented on the viral video, saying: "This is the coolest anyone has ever looked while breaking a world record."
"And she's nonchalant about it, oh she's the coldest main character out there," wrote another fan.
