With razor sharp precision and his eyes on the prize, he shot his shot. It was a bullseye. Such was the state of affairs for a 51-year-old shooter competing at the grand games in Paris.”This is my fifth consecutive Olympics, and I’m confident we will secure a medal,” said Yusuf Dikec. True to his word, the 51-year-old Turkish shooter won silver in the mixed pairs 10-meter air pistol event with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan. They faced Serbia’s Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic in a tense final at the Chteauroux Shooting Centre. Dikec, known for his unconventional style—shooting without headphones and with his hand in his pocket—impressed fans with his performance.

Yusuf Dikec and Tarhan led the qualifiers with a score of 582, matching the Olympic ranking record. Although they narrowly lost 16-14 in the final, Dikec’s unique approach stood out. His impressive achievement at his age sparked widespread admiration and excitement. How did this outlier leave his mark, though? While being flashy and uber cool in his disposition, winning style and stance, what else does this quinquagenarian have up his sleeve?

Veteran shooter Yusuf Dikec proves that age is just a number 

Dikec shows you who’s the boss, literally and figuratively. With the shooting style of Yusuf Dikec becoming the cynosure of all eyes, an X handle named non aesthetic things shared a photo of the shooter, captioning, “Turkey sent a 51 yr old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal”, expressing the impressive yet surprising style of shooting. There, he pointed the pistol straight up, keeping his eyes set on the target without wearing any special glasses or headphones, accoutrements and accessories usually donned by Olympic shooters. He just casually stood, holding one hand in his pocket, which made had rabble rousers talking about him like there’s no tomorrow.  

Some joked that Turkey sent a secret agent or spy to the Olympics, suggesting he deliberately lost the gold to avoid suspicion. On Tuesday at the Paris Olympics, Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec won gold in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event. They defeated Turkey’s Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec who secured a whopping 16-14. According to eminent news reports, on the other side of the spectrum we had India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh took bronze, beating South Korea’s Oh Ye-jin and Lee Won-ho 16-10. Veering back to Dikec, the 51-year-old, started his very first in the Beijing Games in 2008.

Earlier, Yusuf Dikec had been close to winning many medals, but heParis became his moment of reckoning. And justifiably so, he came to Paris with the best preparation, mentally and physically, which fetched him the first Olympic medal. He has already accumulated two world championships and five European titles; thus, the presence of an Olympic medal in his collection is sure to egg him on for LA28 and yonder. 

Interest in shooting geared up after leaked pictures of South Korean sharpshooter Kim Yeji took the interest by storm. She had a certain stone-cold demeanor with her shooting glasses, which looked as if they came out of a sci-fi flick. But the glasses aren’t just for style. On that note, Team USA air pistol athlete Lexi Lagan opined that -“We prefer to have blinder on one side, the other side could be a prescription lens of your glasses… [or] colored lens depending on the environment when we shooting.” Meanwhile, Yusuf Dikec’s performance captured the spotlight, sparking humorous reactions from fans. Some joked that Turkey had sent a spy or an assassin to the Olympics, suggesting Dikec intentionally lost gold to avoid drawing attention from the competition. There’s more to the story!

Fans bursting with joy at the seams by Dikec’s offbeat performance

The Paris Olympics witnessed an extraordinary highlight of how a shooter can stay calm during a performance. So, fans did not take much time to show their admiration and appreciation for this season’s ‘action hero’. One fan commented on his comparison with John Wick, “So you’re telling me. He is the John Wick?? emphasizing how incredible it was for him to pull off his role and how charming he was at the face of Olympic pressure and adversity. Fans are astonished by Dikec’s ability to compete at such a high level at his age. They’ve even compared him to the action hero known for his incredible marksmanship.

Another fan was really impressed with his appearance and commented, “There are no headphones. No special glasses, lenses and equipment. He received the Olympic silver medal in the 10 meter air pistol with a comfortable shot in the hand pocket.”, pointing to his minimalistic way and calm demeanor during the game. This fan is left in awe of his natural skills, as he does not need advanced equipment to get a medal. One fan stressed that experience matters, stating, “One hand in the pocket and no panic. THAT’S EXPERIENCE RIGHT THERE!!” This reaction conveys that confidence and composure always come with years of experience, which further translates into success.  

Another admirer reacted by adding fun: “While the others were wearing special apparatus that closed one eye on the head to aim correctly, the man Atasun grabbed the silver medal with the glasses he bought from the optics, a completely different charisma.” This smartly highlighted the contrast between Yusuf Dikec and others. It showed how an ordinary glass can help someone outperform others if the competitor has the right expertise.

Then, a fan funnily remarked, “51 years old?! Man, at that age I’d be thrilled if I can find my reading glasses, let alone compete for medals! 🥈 I can’t even trust my own eyes to find the remote! 😂”, expressing both admiration and humor, being in complete awe of how a man can deliver such a phenomenal performance at his age, no less. They wonder how mature he has to be to achieve such results. As fans celebrate Yusuf Dikec’s extraordinary achievements and distinctive style, they wonder if succeeding solely through experience and charisma is possible. In an era focused on the advent of technology, advanced gizmos and precision, can charm and skill still lead to victory? We can rely on Dikec as the firebrand figure for that sort of thing.