He became an unlikely hero in the 2024 Olympics.
The Turkish Olympic shooter who went viral for winning silver at the games without any specialist equipment has explained why he does not need any.
Yusuf Dikeç took the internet by storm with his relaxed demeanour and lack of shooting gear that was being donned by the rest of the field.
Dikeç competed in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics and eventually won himself a silver medal.
Nearly all athletes who compete in the shooting events use equipment to aid their accuracy, using special glasses that block one eye and have a lens over the other to help increase accuracy.
South Korean shooter Kim Yeji showed off these glasses when also winning silver in the women’s 10m air pistol competition in Paris.
However Dikeç competed only wearing his regular, prescription glasses and nothing else to help performance.
The sharp-shooter explained to Turkish media in similarly cool fashion why he decided to forgo the added extras.
He said: “I never needed that equipment. I am a natural shooter. That’s why I don’t use many accessories.”
The Turk expressed his delight after winning the silver medal on his five attempt at the Olympics.
He said: “I am just very happy about five Olympic Games. We were very strong today in our competition.”
Despite appearing so calm on the outside, his teammate revealed that underneath he was far from it.
She said: “He had so much anxiety, so much pressure on his heart. Our heartbeat is really beating. Is really so much beating. It is really hard to shoot in the final of the Olympic games.”
Spectators quickly took the shooter to heart as they praised his unimposing appearance and lack of equipment.
The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed.
🇰🇷 Kim Yeji 🤝 Yusuf Dikeç 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/gfkyGjFg4I
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 1, 2024
One wrote: “I love how everyone uses specialized lenses for shooting to avoid blur and increase precision…
“But then Turkey sends out a guy who looks like he just picked up the gun for fun and wins silver.”
And another joked: “Did Turkey send a hitman to the Olympics?”
Meanwhile one user said: “Top confidence. A hand in the pocket. No specialized lenses, no problem. Too easy for a him.”
Now the shooter and his team mate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan are already shooting for the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
“We next [come] to Los Angeles and win a gold medal,” Dikeç said.
