Yusuf Dikec wrote his name in Turkish sports history after winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics along with his partner, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team.
The 51-year-old shooter attracted significant attention after viewers noticed he was competing without any of the equipment typically used in the sport, such as ear protection and specialized glasses that improve aim by obscuring vision in one eye.
Instead, Dikec claimed the silver medal on July 30, wearing his regular prescription glasses and casually tucking his hand into his pocket.
Images of his unconventional approach to the competition quickly made the rounds on the web, with many social media users joking that Dikec might be a hitman in real life.
Sports shooter Yusuf Dikec went viral after competing with no equipment at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Image credits: Eurosport
The Olympic shooter said he has never favored the use of equipment, something that continuously impresses even the referees.
“I’ve never used any equipment. When we went to competitions, referees would sometimes ask about equipment, and I would say, ‘I don’t have any. I am a natural shooter.’ Of course, they would laugh,” he revealed to HaberTurk.
When asked why he doesn’t wear any lenses, eye caps, or ear protection, Dikec said, “Of course, our state meets the need for equipment, but I do not use it because I do not need it.”
Dikec and his partner, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, wrote their names in Turkish sports history after winning silver in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event on July 30
Image credits: Yusuf Dikec
He also let the public know that his cool, hand-in-pocket stance doesn’t mean he doesn’t get nervous performing on the world stage.
“No matter how calm we look there, there are actually storms brewing inside us. We try not to reflect it too much on the outside and to be controlled.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics mark Dikec’s fifth time competing in the Olympics, with his first appearance being in Beijing in 2008. He and Sevval narrowly missed out on the gold medal with a final score of 16-14.
According to his Olympics profile, Dikec took up shooting after he started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie General Command.
The 51-year-old Olympian won his medal wearing his regular prescription glasses instead of the typical ear protectors and specialized eyewear
Image credits: TurkishArc
Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec won gold, while Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh from India took home the bronze.
After winning the silver medal, the sports shooter shared a message on social media, and he dedicated the historic accomplishment to the Turkish people.
“I am very happy that we have won the first Olympic medal in the history of the republic to my country of 85 million people who sent us off with their prayers. This medal belongs to the REPUBLIC OF TURKEY,” he wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of himself showing off his medal in front of the Eiffel Tower.
“I’ve never used any equipment. When we went to competitions, referees would sometimes ask about equipment, and I would say, ‘I don’t have any. I am a natural shooter,’” the Olympic medalist revealed
