Turkey’s nonchalant shooter breaks the internet

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç has become a viral sensation for his laid-back style and nonchalant attitude on his way to winning a silver medal in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event of the Paris Olympics.

On Wednesday, Dikec turned up in a plain t-shirt, wearing standard spectacles, without any optical gadgets or noise-cancelling headphones like his contemporaries and took aim with his left arm inside his pocket.

Shooters usually use specialised ear protection and lenses to block vision in one eye and reduce glare. The 51-year-old later gave a simple explanation behind his unique shooting style, "I did not need special equipment. I'm a natural, a natural shooter," Dikec reportedly told Turkish media after winning the medal.

He and his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan made history together, winning Turkey's first ever medal in shooting. The duo came close to winning the top prize, but lost 16-14 to the Serbia's Zorana Arunović and Damir Mikec in the final.

However, social media cared little, as it exploded over the images and clips of Dikec casually shooting his way to an Olympic medal.

"Turkey sent a 51-year-old guy with no specialised lenses, eye cover, or ear protection and got the silver medal," said a viral post on X.

Many social media users have also joined in the fun, with memes referencing popular characters from movies and video games.

This is Dikec's fifth appearance in the Olympic games as he has been competing in every edition since 2008.

Dikec, a former non-commissioned officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie, a law enforcement agency, has won several medals from World and European Championships for various pistol events, including gold medals in ISSF World Cup and European Championships.