Paris Olympics 2024: Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec goes viral on social media after understated shooting pose

Turkey's Yusuf Dikec won a silver medal in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol shooting competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday, but he also won hearts and minds online. Dikec, a 51-year-old veteran of every summer Olympics since 2008, has become the subject of memes after an image of him making his shots went viral for his casual and seemingly indifferent demeanor.

Dikec, wearing a T-Shirt with his hand in his pocket and no special equipment, looked like something between a regular guy and a hardened hitman with his pistol out, much to the delight of people online across the world. Dikec was juxtaposed to South Korean shooter Kim Yeji, whose much more elaborate uniform and dramatic stance offered a nice contrast.

Dikec has become particularly popular among Japanese users, who have begun calling him " Free User Ojisan " (無課金おじさん/lit. Free User Old Guy) and likening him to a gamer who wins in freemium games without spending any money. Dikec has commanded a great deal of art already as he has quickly become a cult figure, with some even comparing him to Ryo Saeba, the mercenary main character of the 1980s manga "City Hunter."

Adding to Dikec's growing legend was a perfectly cool and in-character one-liner he delivered to Turkish media when asked about not using any special equipment: "I did not need special equipment. I'm a natural, a natural shooter," he said, per NBC Sports .

Dikec's silver medal came alongside teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, as the pair earned Turkey its first-ever medal in Olympic shooting.