The Olympics seem unbelievably cool this year. Everywhere you look, there’s another great narrative being spun from the Games, such as Simone Biles and the U.S gymnastics team’s very funny beef with a former team member who tried (and failed) to talk shit about them before they took gold. But perhaps no sport at this year’s Olympics has given us more new icons than shooting, with many of its competitors making up a murderers row of sharpshooters who look like the hardest motherfuckers alive.
It began with Kim Ye-ji, a South Korean shooter who made waves for her now-iconic demeanor, style, and incredible posture. Since then, the Olympics has somehow kept producing shooters who all seem like they could be the main characters of some game or movie. Yusuf Dikeç, a shooter from Turkey, is the latest phenomenon to emerge from the Games, and let me tell you, I think Hitman’s Agent 47 should be very scared of this man.
Similar to Ye-ji, Dikeç began going viral for his shooting stance. However, unlike the South Korean crackshot, Dikeç started making the rounds for his relaxed appearance and lack of any significant equipment. Ye-ji became a quick favorite for her stylized pose and steely-eyed look, but by comparison, Dikeç’s star is ascending because homeboy looks like he could barely be bothered to show up. Dude straight up doesn’t look like he gives a fuck, and yet he managed to take home silver in his category.
When asked about his lack of equipment, do you know what Dikeç said? “I did not need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter.” The aura coming off this guy is unbelievable, and just like Ye-ji, it’s inspired people around the world to now idolize him, turn him into a meme, produce fan art, and reinterpret him and his stance into their favorite video games and anime.
Ye-ji and Dikeç have emerged as the stars of the shooting category, but they aren’t the only competitors to have popped off online. Sarabjot Singh from India has also been turned into a bit of a meme, as well as Choe Daehan, another shooter from South Korea, whose very pronounced shooting style is probably best seen rather than described:
And then there’s this legend. I simply cannot get enough of the Olympics’ incredible shooters. If this is how fun the Games are all the time, they’ve earned a new lifelong fan.
