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A Conspicuously Dressed-Down Olympic Shooter Won Silver, Then Went Viral

Five-time Olympian Yusuf Dikec's casual style had many viewers jokingly wondering if he might be a hitman.
Rachel Treisman, NPR
A man with one hand in his pocket, wearing a white t-shirt stands in front of a 'Paris' sign holding a gun.
Turkey's Yusuf Dikec, competing in the shooting 10m air pistol mixed team went viral for his casual look. (Alain Jocard/AFP)

Olympic shooters have been getting lots of attention for their cyberpunk-looking gear. But one is standing out for his decidedly lower-tech look — and the fact that he got to the podium nonetheless.

On Tuesday, Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec shot his way to a silver medal in the air pistol mixed team competition, and to instant online fame. His winning quality, the internet decided, was his seeming nonchalance.

While many of Dikec’s competitors were decked out in large ear protectors, visors and sci fi-esque shooting glasses, he played it a different kind of cool with regular eyeglasses and barely visible ear plugs.

Wearing a jersey that looked like an ordinary T-shirt, and shooting with his free hand tucked in his pants pocket, the 51-year-old gave off a noticeably casual vibe.

So casual, in fact, that scores of social media users jokingly wondered whether Turkey had sent a hitman to the Olympics. Some praised his aura as “infinite,” others as “insane.”

And many drew a contrast between Dikec and South Korean shooter Kim Yeji, whose futuristic aesthetic and unflappable demeanor made her an overnight style sensation earlier this week.

Memes joked that the two embodied the contrast between Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel, men vs. women packing for a trip and anime protagonist vs. recently divorced engineer, to name a few.

“South Korea sent a fully-kitted out player for the Olympic shooting,” read one viral tweet. “Turkey sent [a] guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal.”

Dikec and his teammate, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won silver in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event, bringing home Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting.

He placed 13th in his individual event, and is already looking ahead to his next Olympics.

“I hope next in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he said afterward, according to the Associated Press.

The former officer loves dancing and cats

This is Dikec’s fifth Olympics — he has competed in shooting events in every Summer Games since 2008.

He’s also a seven-time European champion and 2014 double world champion in the 25m standard pistol and 25m centerfire pistol, according to his Olympics biography.

Dikec’s bio says he took up shooting in 2001 after he started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie General Command (an armed law enforcement organization in Turkey).

His current occupation is listed as “athlete,” and EuroNews reports that he retired from the Gendarmerie.

Dikec lists exactly one hobby on his bio page: dancing. He’s also a cat lover, as social media sleuths quickly discovered.

His philosophy, ironically, is, “Success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets.”

His unique style comes down to personal preference

A woman and man in red polo shirts stand in front of the Eiffel Tower, which is decorated with Olympic rings. The pair are both wearing silver medals.
Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec pose with the Turkish flag and their silver medals. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)

Shooting glasses — a customizable combo of a lens, mechanical iris and blinders that together can help athletes better line up their mark — have become pretty standard in recent years, though clearly not all athletes are required to use them.

Dikec told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol that while most shooters use one eye, he prefers to use both.

“Shooting with two eyes — I believe that it’s better,” he said, according to a translation from CNN. “I’ve done a lot of research on it, so I didn’t need the equipment.”

Chinese rifle shooter Liu Yukun won a gold medal Thursday with a similarly sparse set of gear, the AP notes — just earplugs, with no blinder or visor.

And Dikec is not the only athlete who shoots with his other hand in his pocket. He told the radio station that it’s a matter of feeling more motivated and comfortable.

The stance “is actually about bringing the body to equilibrium and focusing and concentrating,” he added.

Dikec seems to be taking his social media stardom in stride, reposting several memes to his Instagram page (and, of course, a photo of his silver medal). He has also continued to defend his style.

EuroNews reports that he told the Turkish press: “I did not need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter.”

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