Yusuf Dikec helped Turkey win a silver medal in shooting at the Summer Olympics in Paris on Tuesday, and he did not exactly do it in style.
Dikec and partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan took home the silver medal in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event. Most competitors in that event and other shooting events wore ear protection, specialized goggles, or other eyewear. Dikec, however, looked like he just strolled out of bed, grabbed his gun, and showed up in Paris.
A photo went viral of Dikec wearing what appeared to be regular prescription glasses with his hand in his pocket shooting down range. The screenshot was viewed more than 100 million times as of Thursday.
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
For context, you can see what Dikec looked like next to a fellow competitor:
legend pic.twitter.com/iPpNOrfyiL
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) July 31, 2024
The 51-year-old Dikec has competed in five straight Olympics, which makes his lack of gear an even better story. All he needs is his gun and a target. The rest of the competitors can have their fancy safety equipment.
