Ankara, Aug 10 (AFP/APP): Yusuf Dikec may have an Olympic medal and a legion of adoring online fans, but the Turkish pistol sharpshooter is aiming to keep his feet on the ground.
Shots of the athlete cocking his pistol with nonchalance, his silver medal in Paris earned with his off hand in his pocket and no protective glasses or headphones, went viral around the world.
But in spite of his newfound internet fame, Dikec insisted that he was “the same man”.
“The day after our silver medal, everyone was talking to me about the number of times my photos were shared on social networks,” Dikec told AFP.
“But it doesn’t matter to me. I’ll continue my life as before,” he said, speaking at the complex in the Turkish capital Ankara where he trains.
The master marksman’s relaxed pose, widely imitated by his fellow athletes, has become associated with victory with many of his Olympic peers.
Even Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has shared a video of himself striking the stance, viewed 170 million times.
Dikec’s self-confidence and sangfroid have inspired a flood of online memes.
“The name’s Dikec. Yusuf Dikec,” said posts by some users in reference to cinema spy icon James Bond.
Other memes added a cigarette to his mouth, emphasising his casual posture, while others put Dikec as a character in the seminal action film “The Matrix”.
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