Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec has been dubbed a ‘hitman’ by Olympics viewers after his cool and calm performance in the air pistol shooting.
The 51-year-old is competing at his fifth Olympics, having previously participated in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo in 2021.
Dikec had not won an Olympic medal before travelling to Paris but made history with his teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan as they won silver – Turkey’s first-ever shooting sport medal.
During the event, spectators could not help but notice that Dikec stood out from the rest of his competitors with his minimalist equipment.
Typically, pistol shooters compete wearing specialist eyewear to help improve accuracy and huge protectors in order to block out any distractions.
But Dikec, a retired non-commissioned officer in Turkey’s gendarmerie, turned up to the event with a pair of regular prescription glasses and a standard pair of earplugs.
In a viral post seen by over 27 million accounts on X, one person posted a picture of Dikec during the competition and asked: ‘Did Turkey send a hitman to the Olympics?’
Dikec was also labelled as a ‘trained assassin’ by another viewer.
Speaking before he travelled to Paris, Dikec was adamant that he would finally win an Olympic medal at his fifth Games.
‘I expect a medal there,’ he said.
‘Of course, every athlete wants to come back from every competition with a medal. Athletes don’t go to the Olympics just for themselves, they go for the 85 million Turks. I also feel this weight, but I am more experienced for these Games.
‘I think I will be able to handle this emotional intensity better. This will be reflected in my competition result. Because I have prepared really well, I will come back with a medal.’
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