Sun, Aug 04, 2024 page7

• Casual Turkish shooter goes viral

  • Reuters, CHATEAUROUX, France
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  Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec has become a social media sensation for his nonchalance at the shooting range at the Paris Olympics.

  A former officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie, Dikec combined with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan to win the silver in the mixed team 10m air pistol event on Tuesday.

  However, it was the 51-year-old’s casual attire as he fired with his other hand in pocket at the Chateauroux Shooting Center that prompted the myriad of memes.

  

  Turkey’s Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, left, and Yusuf Dikec compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team gold medal event at the Paris Olympics in Chateauroux, France, on Tuesday.

  Photo: AP

  “Be cool like Yusuf Dikec,” the French embassy in Turkey wrote in a post on X.

  While most pistol shooters wear visors, chunky ear-defenders and shooting lenses with a blinder to shut out distractions and enhance focus, Dikec had only an yellow ear plug in as he hit the range.

  His silver hair, intense gaze, normal glasses and a jersey that looked like a regular T-shirt intrigued many Internet users.

  

  Turkey’s Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, left, and Yusuf Dikec pose for a photograph after winning the silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Paris Olympics in Chateauroux, France, on Tuesday.

  Photo: AP

  Even the common practice among pistol shooters of firing with their non-shooting hand tucked in a pocket was seen as part of Dikec’s nonchalant charm.

  Dikec is already back in Turkey and did not reply to Reuters messages seeking his reaction to his global fame, but teammate Tarhan said he has earned his overnight celebrity status.

  “I’m proud of him, but it’s not that he does not have equipment,” the 24-year-old said on Friday. “He’s used to shooting with regular glasses and does not need extra gear. It’s a personal thing and he’s comfortable that way.”

  The Internet cannot stop gushing over Dikec, who has not missed an Olympics since his debut in Beijing in 2008.

  Tarhan agreed Dikec fitted the description of “cool.”

  “But at the same time, he’s very warm to people close to him,” she said. “You can crack jokes with him, share anything with him.”

  “I’m happy to see him getting the attention,” she said.

  Dikec himself seems surprised, if a bit baffled, by the Internet storm.

  “I didn’t anticipate such a level of recognition,” he told Turkish media on his arrival in the country. “Since I shoot with both eyes open, I don’t find the equipment very comfortable.”

  And Dikec is not done with the Olympics yet, with Tarhan confirming they would be back hunting for the gold in Los Angeles in four years’ time.

  “We were hoping to win gold here too, and we are among the best pistol teams,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll win it in Los Angeles.”
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