Turkish shooter's relaxed stance earns Olympic silver

The Turkish shooting representative, Yusuf Dikeç, gained significant attention after his performance at the Olympic Games in Paris. The 51-year-old appeared exceptionally relaxed during the competition. He shot with one hand in his pocket and won a silver medal. "Storms were raging inside," said in an interview with Reuters.

Yusuf Dikeç and his partner Sevvala Ilayda Tarhan won the silver medal in the mixed 10-metre air pistol event. During the competition, the 51-year-old became famous for his unusual stance.

During the shooting, the athlete kept one hand in his pocket and, instead of using professional headphones and special visors, he relied on corrective glasses and earplugs. He appeared laid-back.

"At that moment, everyone says I seemed very calm, but actually, storms were raging inside me," Dikeç said in an interview with Reuters.

"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," explained the Turkish representative.

The relaxed stance of the Turkish representative had many imitators even during the Olympic Games. Among others, Armand Duplantis emulated it after once again breaking the world record in the pole vault.

Silver in the 10-metre air pistol event is one of Turkey's eight medals in Paris. Their total tally includes three silver medals and five bronze medals. With eight medals, they ranked 64th in the medal standings.