Yusuf Dikeç: Turkish Sport Shooter and Viral Sensation
Overview
Yusuf Dikeç, born January 1, 1973, is a distinguished Turkish sport shooter specializing in pistol events. A retired non-commissioned officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie and a member of the Jandarma Gücü Sports Club, Dikeç achieved a notable victory by winning a silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, alongside teammate Şevval İlayda Tarhan. His composed demeanor during the competition quickly made him a social media sensation.
Early Life and Military Career
Dikeç was born in Taşoluk village, Göksun district, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. After completing his primary education locally and secondary schooling in Göksun, he entered the Military School of Gendarmerie in Ankara in 1994. Following his graduation, he served as a corporal in Mardin before returning to the Military School of Gendarmerie in 1999, where he graduated as a sergeant a year later. He was then stationed in Istanbul before being assigned to Jandarma Gücü in Ankara, the Turkish Gendarmerie’s sports club.
Sporting Career
In 2001, Dikeç embarked on his sport shooting career. Over the years, he has competed both for the military national team and the Turkish national team. He has claimed multiple national championships and holds national records in various pistol events.
Notably, in 2006, Dikeç set a world record in the 25-meter center-fire pistol event at the CISM Military World Championships in Rena, Norway, scoring 597 points. He earned a bronze medal in the 10-meter air pistol event at the 2012 ISSF World Cup Final in Bangkok, Thailand.
Dikeç first represented Turkey at the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 35 and has since competed in the 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympics. He qualified for the 10-meter air pistol men’s event at the 2012 Summer Olympics and also competed in the 50-meter pistol event, though he did not advance to the finals.
At the 2013 European Shooting Championships in Osijek, Croatia, Dikeç won gold medals in both the 25-meter standard pistol and the 25-meter center-fire pistol events. He also earned a silver medal in the 25-meter standard team event and another gold in the 25-meter center-fire pistol team event. Additionally, he secured a silver medal in the 50-meter pistol team event with teammates Ömer Alimoğlu and İsmail Keleş.
In the 2021 European Shooting Championships, also held in Osijek, he won a bronze medal in the 10-meter Air Pistol Team event with teammates Serdar Demirel and İsmail Keleş.
2024 Olympics and Viral Fame
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Dikeç and Şevval İlayda Tarhan claimed the silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event, narrowly losing to Serbia’s Zorana Arunović and Damir Mikec in the final. At 51 years and 212 days old, Dikeç became Turkey’s oldest Olympic medallist.
His “seemingly nonchalant” style during the event—characterized by wearing a simple jersey, regular eyeglasses, minimal earplugs, and casually shooting with one hand in his pocket—stood out against his competitors’ high-tech gear. This distinctive appearance made Dikeç a viral sensation, leading to numerous Internet memes. Embracing the viral trend, he even shared a compilation of these memes on his Instagram page.
