Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec became a social media sensation for his seemingly casual attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Along with a slew of memes about Dikec, several social media posts have gone viral, falsely claiming that the 51-year-old was a mechanic who recently took up shooting as a sport after a tumultuous divorce.
However, Dikec is no newcomer as he has competed at every Summer Olympics since 2008. He is a former officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie, Türkiye’s paramilitary police force. Along with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, Dikec won the silver medal in the mixed team 10-metre air pistol event on July 30, 2024, which was Türkiye’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting.
An X handle posted a photo of Dikec with a long caption claiming that Yusuf Dikec, is a 52-year-old mechanic from Istanbul and recently took up shooting after a tumultuous divorce, winning an Olympic silver medal with an unconventional, casual approach to the sport.
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec is a retired non-commissioned officer of Türkiye’s paramilitary police force, and has competed at every Summer Olympics since 2008.
We checked Yusuf's bio on the Olympics website and also found several international news reports, none of which mention him being a mechanic or going through a rough divorce just before the game on July 30, 2024.
Reuters reported that Dikec is a former officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie and that he has been participating in the Olympics for his country since 2008.
Education qualifications of Dikec
We then checked his official bio the Olympics website which had his educational qualifications listed. It stated that he studied at the Gazi University School of Physical Training and Education (Ankara) and received a Master's in Coaching from the Selcuk University in Türkiye.
His education qualifications also check out on his Facebook account, listed on his website.
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Olympics records of Dikec
Dikec is not a newcomer to shooting as the viral posts claim. The Paris 2024 Olympics is his fifth outing, having previously competed in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
His official bio states that he began competing as a shooter in 2001 and took up shooting as a sport after he started working as a non-commissioned officer for the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command.
His records as listed by the Olympics website is shown below:
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Dikec's style of shooting
Dikec's noticeable nonchalance and choice not to wear gear like blinders over one eye caught the attention of many. Most shooters at the Olympic range in Chateauroux, France, wear visors to reduce glare or blinders over one eye to better focus the eye looking down the sights.
Additionally, The Associated Press reported that it is not true Dikec was not wearing any shooting gear. He was wearing yellow earplugs to block out distractions during the final, the same not visible from the angle of the viral image. The report also stated that shooters have some freedom about how they dress for the competition.
Dickec in an interview with Turkish channel TGRT Haber on August 1, 2024, acknowledged that he had adopted the rare technique of shooting with both eyes open whereas most athletes keep one closed or obscured saying, “My shooting technique is one of the rare shooting techniques in the world. I shoot with both eyes open. Even the referees are surprised by this.”
Claims on Dikec 'dig at his ex-wife' and him being a mechanic trace back to a satirical Facebook post
We also found that the viral caption, which claims he was a mechanic until recently and that he took a 'dig at his ex-wife,' traces back to a satirical Facebook page called The Sports Memery. The exact same caption that is viral was posted on Facebook by this page on August 1, 2024.
At the end of the post it has a disclaimer reading, "This is a satirical post. We are a clearly labeled satire / parody page"
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We did not find any recent reporting on Dikec's relationship status.