'Regular guy' Yusuf Dikec breaks internet at Paris Games: Why Turkish shooter getting gold reactions for shooting silver

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec won a silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the Paris Olympics.

Cool as a cucumber, with no protection gear, an unlimited aura, and just a pair of glasses, 51-year-old Yusuf Dikec is truly an icon. The Turkish shooter won a silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the Paris Olympics Wednesday evening and became a social media sensation overnight.

Dikec is competing in his fifth Olympics(AFP-X)

Shooters in competitions gear up with various equipment. They use specialized glasses to enhance precision and prevent blurring, along with ear protectors to cancel out noise. However, Dikec donned no gear at all. He came wearing his regular pair of glasses and earplugs, had one hand in his pocket, and exuded an aura like no other.

Dikec is competing in his fifth Olympics now, having first participated in the 2008 Beijing Games. A seasoned sports shooter, he has a world record to his name—in 2006, at the CISM Military World Championships in Rena, Norway, Dikec scored 597 points in the 25 m center-fire pistol event.

In 2012, he won a bronze medal in the 10 m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup Final in Bangkok, Thailand. He is currently a retired non-commissioned officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie.

The internet, being the internet, wasted no time turning Dikec into an icon. Tweets and memes flooded ‘X,’ and people started talking about his “aura” and cool attitude and approach.

Not much earlier, South Korean air pistol competitor Kim Yeji also caught the internet’s eye for a similar reason, but with different variables. Yeji was the personification of “cool” as she stood with her shoulder raised, all-geared up, cap on her head, and her daughter’s small elephant toy tied to her belt.