CHATEAUROUX, France (AP) — Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has gone viral on social media for his seemingly informal angle whereas capturing his approach to a silver medal on the 2024 Olympics.
Probably the most-shared pictures present Dikec capturing in a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, a seemingly commonplace pair of glasses and an emotionless look on his face. He’s been likened to a daily man competing on the Olympics, or perhaps a hitman.
The 51-year-old isn’t any newcomer, although. He’s competed at each Summer time Olympics since 2008.
Some memes distinction Dikec along with his Serbian opponent Damir Mikec, who was sporting a blinder over one eye, a lens over the opposite and a big pair of ear defenders.
Did Dikec win a medal?
He did, and it made historical past.
Dikec and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan gained the silver medal in combined workforce 10-meter air pistol capturing Tuesday. It was Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic capturing.
Mikec and Zorana Arunovic gained gold for Serbia. The bronze went to India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh.
Not like Dikec, his teammate Tarhan was competing with giant ear defenders and a visor, in addition to braids within the pink and white colours of the Turkish flag. She was capturing with one hand in her pocket, too.
Dikec was thirteenth in his particular person occasion and is now carried out on the Paris Olympics. He’s waiting for the following Video games in 2028, although. “I hope subsequent in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he mentioned Tuesday.
What does he take into consideration going viral?
Dikec appears to be embracing the pattern, reposting a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram web page.
The capturing occasions had been held round three hours’ drive south of Paris. Dikec and Tarhan made the journey to the French capital Wednesday, the place they had been greeted with cheers on the Champions Park, an open-air venue the place medalists have a good time with followers.
Why didn’t Dikec put on extra gear?
Shooters have some freedom about how they gown for competitors.
Many shooters on the Olympic vary in Chateauroux, central France, select to put on visors to cut back the glare of the lights or so-called blinders over one eye to get a greater focus for the attention which is trying down the sights.
It’s not fairly true that Dikec wasn’t sporting any capturing gear. He had yellow earplugs to dam out distractions whereas he shot within the last. They only weren’t seen from the angle of the picture which went viral.
Similar to Dikec, Chinese language rifle shooter Liu Yukun gained a gold medal Thursday sporting earplugs however no blinder or visor.
Produce other shooters gone viral on the 2024 Olympics?
Sure, South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji’s assured demeanor and dramatic stance have introduced reward on social media for her “primary character power”.
“The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we would have liked,” the official Olympics account on X posted Thursday with photos of Kim and Dikec.
Kim gained silver within the girls’s 10-meter air pistol occasion Sunday behind her South Korean teammate Oh Ye Jin. Kim and Oh are roommates and Kim mentioned she was happy Oh received the gold as a result of she sees her like a “youngest sibling”.
Kim is ready to compete once more Friday in qualification for the ladies’s 25-meter pistol occasion.
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AP Summer time Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games