- Yusuf Dikec won three gold medals at the 2025 European Championships in Istanbul
- Dikec wore a white T-shirt and glasses, unlike competitors with elaborate gear
- His winning shot against German duo Christian Reitz and Paul Frohlich went viral
Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who became a viral sensation for his "gearless" look at the Paris Olympics 2024 en route to his silver medal, is back in the limelight. Dressed in his characteristic white T-shirt and glasses, whilst competitors wore elaborate instruments, Dikec helped Turkey win three gold medals at the European Championships 2025 in Istanbul.
The video of Dikec's winning shot is being widely circulated on social media, where he can be seen defeating the German pair of Christian Reitz and Paul Frohlich.
"The gold medal won at the end of the challenging 3-day competition," Dikec wrote in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
Check the viral video here:
'The man, the myth, the legend'
As the video gained significant traction, social media users were in awe of Dikec's nonchalance, while others said the Turkish shooter was their inspiration.
"So embarrassing wearing all that equipment on your face to lose to a guy just wearing his glasses," said one user, while another added: "I think it boils down to relentless, almost boring, consistency in preparation, way beyond what the casual fan ever sees."
A third commented: "The man, the myth, the legend. The saying " No one remembers 2nd place" is obsolete because of the legend himself."
A fourth said: "Yusuf Dikec is actually one of my biggest inspirations. Such a good example of how you don't need to have the best gear or even be that serious about it to be good at something."
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'My shooting pose...'
Quizzed in the aftermath of his Olympic heroics, Dikec said he was not feeling as easy as it looked from the outside.
"At that moment, everyone says I seemed very calm, but actually storms were raging inside me. I think my shooting pose represented the Olympic spirit very well: the fair play, simplicity, clarity and naturalness. That's why it got so much attention," he said at the time.
The 52-year-old began shooting competitively in 2001, following his employment with the Gendarmerie General Command as a non-commissioned officer.
