One of the breakout stars of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Turkish marksman Yusuf Dikec, has broken his silence since his newfound fame. As if he wasn’t already a complete badass, his response had cemented his status as an internet icon.
There have been a tonne of athletes who have found fame at this year’s Olympics, from muffin-obsessed swimmers on TikTok, to incredibly stylish “main character energy” shooters.
Yusuf Dikec lands closer to the second camp, becoming an internet hero for his laid-back and casual approach to his shooting event in the Games.
One photo of Dikec competing that has been seen by all corners of the internet compares the method and equipment used by everyone else competing in the shooting event, and the juxtaposition it has with the Turkish Olympian.
On one hand, all the other pro-shooters are decked out with additional lenses, specially designed outfits, and intentional body positioning. And then you have 51-year-old Yusuf Dikec, wearing his standard glasses and with one hand in his pocket.
Turkey sent a 51 yr old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal pic.twitter.com/sFKcsRzvrw
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) July 31, 2024
The power is immaculate.
Dikec’s relaxed aura and laid-back dad aesthetic while competing in the highest level sport on the planet has made him the internet’s newest obsession.
Add in the fact that he’s a cat dad and he’s basically the Internet Messiah.
Yusuf Dikec is a cat person! pic.twitter.com/fIiYmfBBJC
— Why you should have a cat (@ShouldHaveCat) August 2, 2024
Yusuf Dikec responds to his fame
And in total consistency with his nonchalant energy, when asked by Turkish newspaper Habertürk how he felt about the reaction to his casual competition attire, Dikec gave a classic response.
“I did not need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter,” he said.
Not only did Dikec win the hearts of the internet, but also a silver medal for the Mixed 10m Air Pistol event. However, the fact that he placed second also spawned an entire branch of memes that he placed second intentionally, so as not to arouse suspicions.
See, people online started to question, how is he that good without gear?
Naturally, the running gag online has become that Dikec is secretly a government operative, or a hitman.
One last job. #YusufDikec pic.twitter.com/MuNUiAed8q
— Ernest Ng Bro (@ernestngBRO) August 1, 2024
The 51-year old Turkish shooter purposely finishing 2nd so people don't suspect he's a hitman: pic.twitter.com/c2pnUgmvRm
— vids that go hard (@vidsthatgohard) August 2, 2024
He is definitely a HitMan #OlympicGamesParis2024 #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/PdScPfS7iv
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) August 1, 2024
Now obviously he’s not a hitman. But it’s fun to play pretend and add to the lore.
Even the official Olympic Games social media team got behind the trending athlete, sharing a post of Dikec and his fellow internet-famous shooter, Kim Yeji.
The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed.
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 1, 2024
🇰🇷 Kim Yeji 🤝 Yusuf Dikeç 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/gfkyGjFg4I
The Turkish shooter seems to be at peace with his fame too, embracing the trend by re-sharing memes made of him on his personal Instagram page.
Dikec even shared a cheeky photo on his social media of him in Paris recreating his classic pose, much to the joy of his new 280K followers.
After a week of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it truly has been wonderful to see all these world-class athletes find so many new fans.
The Paris 2024 Games can be viewed live and on-demand on Channel Nine and 9Now, or on Stan.
[Image: Getty]
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