Nonchalant Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec wins Olympic silver : NPR

Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec, pictured competing within the taking pictures 10m air pistol blended group gold medal match at Chateauroux Taking pictures Heart on Tuesday, went viral for his informal look.

Alain Jocard/AFP

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Alain Jocard/AFP

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Olympic shooters have been getting a number of consideration for his or her cyberpunk-looking gear. However one is standing out for his decidedly lower-tech look — and the truth that he bought to the rostrum nonetheless.

On Tuesday, Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec shot his option to a silver medal within the air pistol blended group competitors, and to instantaneous on-line fame. His successful high quality, the web determined, was his seeming nonchalance.

Whereas a lot of Dikec’s rivals had been decked out in giant ear protectors, visors and sci fi-esque taking pictures glasses, he performed it a special sort of cool with common eyeglasses and barely seen ear plugs.

Sporting a jersey that seemed like an bizarre T-shirt, and taking pictures along with his free hand tucked in his pants pocket, the 51-year-old gave off a noticeably informal vibe.

So informal, actually, that scores of social media customers jokingly puzzled whether or not Turkey had despatched a hitman to the Olympics. Some praised his aura as “infinite,” others as “insane.”

And lots of drew a distinction between Dikec and South Korean shooter Kim Yeji, whose futuristic aesthetic and unflappable demeanor made her an in a single day fashion sensation earlier this week.

Memes joked that the 2 embodied the distinction between Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel, males vs. ladies packing for a visit and anime protagonist vs. not too long ago divorced engineer, to call just a few.

“South Korea despatched a fully-kitted out participant for the Olympic taking pictures,” learn one viral tweet. “Turkey despatched [a] man with no specialised lenses, eye cowl or ear safety and bought the silver medal.”

Dikec and his teammate, Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, received silver within the blended group 10-meter air pistol occasion, bringing dwelling Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic taking pictures.

He positioned thirteenth in his particular person occasion, and is already looking forward to his subsequent Olympics.

“I hope subsequent in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he mentioned afterward, in response to the Related Press.

The previous officer loves dancing and cats

That is Dikec’s fifth Olympics — he has competed in taking pictures occasions in each Summer season Video games since 2008.

He’s additionally a seven-time European champion and 2014 double world champion within the 25m commonplace pistol and 25m centerfire pistol, in response to his Olympics biography.

Dikec’s bio says he took up taking pictures in 2001 after he began working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie Normal Command (an armed legislation enforcement group in Turkey).

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

Dikec lists precisely one pastime on his bio web page: dancing. He’s additionally a cat lover, as social media sleuths shortly found.

His philosophy, paradoxically, is, “Success does not come together with your palms in your pockets.”

His distinctive fashion comes down to private desire

Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec pose with the Turkish flag and their silver medals beneath the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday.

Miguel Medina/AFP through Getty Pictures

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Miguel Medina/AFP through Getty Pictures

Taking pictures glasses — a customizable combo of a lens, mechanical iris and blinders that collectively may also help athletes higher line up their mark — have change into fairly commonplace lately, although clearly not all athletes are required to make use of them.

Dikec informed Turkish radio station Radyo Gol that whereas most shooters use one eye, he prefers to make use of each.

“Taking pictures with two eyes — I consider that it’s higher,” he mentioned, in response to a translation from CNN. “I’ve executed quite a lot of analysis on it, so I didn’t want the tools.”

Chinese language rifle shooter Liu Yukun received a gold medal Thursday with a equally sparse set of drugs, the AP notes — simply earplugs, with no blinder or visor.

And Dikec is not the one athlete who shoots along with his different hand in his pocket. He informed the radio station that it’s a matter of feeling extra motivated and cozy.

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

Dikec appears to be taking his social media stardom in stride, reposting a number of memes to his Instagram web page (and, after all, a photograph of his silver medal). He has additionally continued to defend his fashion.

EuroNews studies that he informed the Turkish press: “I didn’t want particular tools. I am a pure, a pure shooter.”