The 2024 Paris Olympics can't get out of their own way. Between blasphemous opening ceremony moments to rage and counter-rage over gender-challenged individuals competing in women's sports, it seems that naught but controversy flows through this Olympiad as surely as the river Seine. MORE: Paris Olympics Organizers Apologize for Opening Ceremony Fiasco, and It's As Lame As You'd Expect Enter Turkish cat lover Yusuf Dikeç.
The tweet isn't completely accurate, as Dikeç was wearing earplugs. That duly noted, the medal part is true. Dikeç and his partner Şevval İlayda Tarhan, who is less than half Dikeç's age, won the silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event.
“I shoot with both eyes, most shooters do it with one. So I didn’t want that all that equipment. Shooting with two eyes — I believe that it’s better. I’ve done a lot of research on it, so I didn’t need the equipment,” Dikeç told Turkish radio station Radyo Gol. Confident but not cocky. Exactly how we like our heroes. Dikeç is no newcomer to competitive shooting. He first medaled in 2005 at the Mediterranean Games. Including his newly acquired Olympic hardware, he has won 10 gold, 11 silver, and six bronze medals at 10, 25, and 50-meter distances in assorted international competitions. I believe the appropriate expression, albeit slightly dated, is “mad skillz.” One of sports' greatest strengths comes from relatable athletes. The ones who are affable and personable when not competing draw the greatest fan base because, despite the obvious difference in physical talent, there is a common thread binding us together. A prime example of this is Caitlin Clark, who, all the mean girls' garbage thrown her way by assorted sulky WNBA players notwithstanding, clearly loves playing the game and being a normal, likable person off the court. MORE: Why Caitlin Clark Is the Role Model Modern Girls Need While little is known of Yusuf Dikeç away from the shooting range, he gives every appearance of utter normalcy. Or, at the least, normalcy as embodied by someone who could literally shoot the lights out while giving all indications being able to do so is as matter-of-fact as ... oh, having a kitten perched on your shoulder. |
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