The viral Turkish shooter at the Paris Olympics explains why he used no equipment

Everybody has seen the viral photo of the Olympic icon himself, Yusuf Dikec, or more commonly known as the unhinged Olympics shooter: The Turkish enigma himself has broken his silence on why he has such a relaxed demeanour and no equipment with him to compete in Paris at an Olympic level.

The 51 year-old competitor won the silver medal along with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event on Wednesday, but the event didn’t make headlines until Dikec’s unbothered vibes shocked viewers at home. The iconic hitman-style photo of him went viral on X.

Most shooters at the Olympics (and most competitions) use ear protection and specialised glasses to keep the vision in one eye, but Dikec claims to not need any extra equipment.

He revealed: “I never needed that equipment. I am a natural shooter. That’s why I don’t use many accessories.” I mean, I guess he’s right.

Users on X were quick to notice his military background on Wikipedia, and applaud him for being an absolute badass.

Fans of the Turkish phenomenon joked online: “Yes we know you a natural trained assassin. 😭”

Another user took to X: “Hand in his pocket too, he’s probably a hitman using the Olympics as a side hustle.”

My favourite tweet was definitely: “He won the silver medal so as not to arouse suspicion.” What an interesting theory.

The man of few words won Turkey’s first ever medal in Olympic shooting this year. Despite being relatively unknown before his Paris appearance, it’s actually his fifth Olympic games: The Turkish shooter made his Olympics debut in 2008 in Bejing.

He said to reporters on Tuesday that Paris will not be the end of his Olympics journey: “I hope next in Los Angeles for a gold medal.” I for one can’t wait to see him again at the next games, looking as cool as ever.

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