If the Viral Turkish Shooter Had Won Olympic Gold, He Would Have Considered Quitting the Sport

New Delhi:

If composure had a visage, it would be Turkish marksman Yusuf Dikec’s. The 51-year-old, who clinched the silver in 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at Paris Olympics without any specialized equipment and a hand in pocket, is now the among the most searched individuals on the Internet and the muse behind numerous memes.

Returned to his homeland after his Olympic triumph alongside partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, Dikec conversed with Turkey’s Anadolu news agency about his relaxed stance that made headlines. “It was the position where I felt the most comfortable and could keep my body the most stable. Although I appeared calm on the outside, there was a storm inside,” he conveyed, adding that he had no inkling that his posture would spark a buzz. “I never anticipated it to generate such a commotion,” he expressed, adding that he simply assumed position and took the shot.

A 23-Year Voyage

The intrigue surrounding Yusuf Dikec engendered a flurry of misinformation, with assertions that he was a mechanic and his journey as a shooter commenced after a bitter divorce. While his relationship status is undisclosed, it is evident that his composed shot is the outcome of two decades of diligent work. A former sergeant in the Turkish Army, Dikec initiated sport shooting in 2001. He is a five-time Olympian who also vied in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Games.

In his dialogue with Anadolu, he articulated, “People sometimes say, ‘it’s so easy, you won a medal with your hand in your pocket’. That’s what is evident, but behind this medal is 24 years of hard work. I train for 4-5 hours six days a week.”

Dikec has previously claimed medals in European and global championships, Mediterranean Games, and Islamic Solidarity Games. “What was absent from that assortment was an Olympic medal. The collection would have been whole if it was gold. If I secured a gold in this Olympics, I was contemplating retiring,” he expressed, adding, “I am very skilled, and Ilayda is very skilled too. If God permits, we will secure the gold medal in 2028.”

Daughter’s Pep Talk

Dikec recounted to Anadolu his conversation with his nine-year-old daughter Basak before he departed for Paris. “My sole possession in the world, my fount of life, is Basak. She imparted tips to me before I departed. When I inquired, ‘How are you faring in gymnastics,’ she responded, ‘I tell myself ‘you can do it Basak, you can triumph.’ You do likewise.’ The marksman conveyed that he conversed with his daughter the day before the Olympics shooting event. “Ordinarily, I do not respond to my phone to avert diverting my attention, but conversing with my daughter motivated me.”

Basak conveyed that she was exceedingly thrilled to observe her father perform. “I wished him success. I motivated him so that he does not get disheartened for not finishing first.”

“Yusuf Dikec just a name”

The luminary marksman conveyed that an athlete must pay heed to his demeanor, conduct, and lifestyle when he is donning the national team’s jersey. “Yusuf Dikec is merely a name and a symbol. I am exceedingly pleased to be discussed as a Turkish athlete, not as Yusuf Dikec.”

He expressed that this triumph must embolden young Turkish shooters. “I initiated the sport very belatedly, I commenced when I was 28. Initially, when we journeyed to competitions in Europe and the world, we deemed making it to the finals as a triumph. Today, after 24 years, we have commenced to feel despondent about finishing second in the Olympics. We have numerous young comrades, they will surpass us. I am aged, but we have demonstrated that success can be attained through hard work. What is crucial is not desiring something intensely, but the exertion you invest to accomplish what you desire,” he articulated.