Why is Yusuf Dikec viral?
Dikec became a global sensation after Tuesday’s event when he appeared at the elite Games dressed casually in a plain T-shirt. Unlike other competitors, he was not wearing any protective gear and special lenses while competing in the mixed team 10-metre air pistol shooting, which captured widespread attention globally.
He and his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won the silver medal at the event, in which India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh secured bronze. “I hope next in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he said Tuesday, referring to the 2028 Summer Games.
Who was Yusuf Dikec before becoming an Olympian?
Born in 1973, Dikec has been in every Summer Olympics Games since 2008. In the ongoing Paris Games, he also participated in the 10m Air Pistol Men, in which he secured 13 rank, the Paris Olympics website shows.
The website mentions that Dikec’s hobbies include dancing. Dikec took up shooting after he “started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Gendarmerie General Command,” the website reads. He began competing in shooting in 2001.
Gendarmerie General Command, an armed enforcement agency of the Ministry of Interior of Turkey, works to maintain security, safety and public order. According to the Nato Centres of Excellence, a unit of the inter-governmental organisation Nato, the agency’s history dates back to 1839.
Dikec, who was seen aiming for his target on Tuesday with one of the pockets in his hands, ironically believes in the philosophy that “success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets” – his bio on the official Olympics website states.
The four-time Olympian also holds records for seven-time European champion among other accomplishments.
First Published: Aug 02 2024 | 11:31 AM IST
