,  By  T-VINE

How Türkiye’s silver medallist pistol shooter Yusuf Dikeç became an Olympic icon

It’s not every day that an athlete becomes a global icon, much less one who came second in their sport, but that’s exactly where Turkish air pistol shooter Yusuf Dikeç finds himself following his performance at the Paris Games.

The former Turkish army officer won silver with teammate Şevval İlayda Tarhan in the 10 m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, narrowly losing to the Serbian team of Zorana Arunović and Damir Mikec in the final.

Pistol shooting is not one of the Olympics’ most popular sports and yet within a short time, Dikeç’s casual pose and attire while taking aim not only set him apart from his fellow competitors, but also sent the veteran Olympian viral.

Dikeç came into the Paris Olympic Games as Türkiye’s oldest and most experienced Olympian. The 2024 Summer Games was the veteran marksman’s fifth Olympics, having previously participated in the Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo Games.

Although he is the current men’s world record holder for 25 m Air Pistol at the International Military Sports Council (CISM) and has won over two dozen medals of different hues in pistol shooting at a multitude of major international events, including the European and ISSF World Championships, until Paris Dikeç had never before won an Olympic medal.

Two weeks ago,  all that changed for the shooter from Göksun, Kahramanmaraş, in eastern Türkiye. At the age of 51 years and 212 days, Dikeç became Türkiye’s oldest ever Olympic medallist. His and Tarhan’s podium success marked not only their but also Türkiye’s first ever Olympic medal in shooting.

Dikeç’s Olympic success means his medal tally in all international competitions during a sporting career that has spanned 23 years now stands at 30.

Yet his success did not end there. Suddenly Dikeç, who competed in Paris without specialist equipment such as headband ear defenders, eye cover, and lenses, was propelled into the global limelight over his pose and demeanour, which found its way onto social media through illustrations, comments, and hundreds of memes.

Many compared him to the fictional character and hitman John Wick, who was played by Keanu Reeves in a film of the same name, while others thought silver-haired Dikeç could be the next James Bond. Within days, there were murals of him around the world and dozens of imitators online.

A host of medal-winning athletes in Paris proved just how cool Dikeç had become as they celebrated their Olympic feats by ‘doing the Dikeç’, using one hand to fire an imaginary gun, while tucking the other away.

 

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Among those copying the Turkish shooter’s famous pose were Sweden’s world record breaking pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, Australia’s women’s pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, and Jamaican discus thrower Roje Stona, while Britain’s women 4x400m relay team channelled their inner Dikeç as they were announced at the Stade de France ahead of their final race, where they won bronze.

Having competed at five Olympics, it appears Dikeç has no intention of retiring just yet. TheTurkish shooter has his eye firmly on winning gold at the next Olympics in Los Angeles, as he told Reuters after returning to training in Ankara: “I’ve only lent the gold medal until 2028.”

Dikeç also revealed he was not as calm as he appeared at the Olympic shooting range during the final: “At that moment, everyone says I seemed very calm, but actually, storms were raging inside me.”

And on why he’s become an icon, Dikeç said: “I think my shooting pose represented the Olympic spirit very well: the fair play, simplicity, clarity and naturalness. That’s why it got so much attention.”