Unlikely Olympic athletes steal fans’ hearts as one dubbed ‘retired assassin’ & another has ‘main character energy’
TWO unlikely Olympic athletes have stolen the spotlight at the games in Paris with fans gushing over their charisma.
Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec and South Korean Kim Yeji have both won silver at their events but fans fell in love with their demeanour instead.
Dikec, 51, secured a silver medal at the 10m air pistol mixed event with compatriot Sevval llayda.
But it was his cold demeanour and casual attire that caught the fans’ attention and gained him fame.
Some sports fans even compared his ice-cool style to a hitman.
The Olympian’s opponents took to the stage with specialised lenses, eye covers and ear protection to guard their vision and hearing.
But not Dikec, all he needed was a pair of prescription glasses along with a cosy white T-shirt and a pair of track bottoms.
The Turkish star then grabbed the pistol with his right hand, looked at the target with both eyes open and had his left hand in his pocket.
Fans watching the Paris 2024 action couldn’t believe what they were seeing as they quickly found a new Olympic hero.
One shooting enthusiast tweeted: “Turkey sent a 51 yr old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection and got the silver medal.”
Another commented: “Dude looks like he just decided to join the Olympics when he woke up this morning.”
A third person said: “He casually walked in, took out his piece, took the shots, and just as casually walked out without even waiting for his medal.
“I think he’s done this before — under different circumstances, of course.”
Someone else added: “Hand in his pocket too, he’s probably a hitman using the Olympics as a side hustle.”
Another joked: “I know a trained assassin when I see one.”
Dikec has since responded to his newfound fame on the internet by saying: “I did not need special equipment. I am a natural, natural shooter.”
The Turkish shooter comes from a military background after retiring as a non-commissioned officer of the Turkish force.
Dikec, who is competing in his fifth Olympic Games, and his partner came just short of winning the gold medal with a final score of 16–14.
His picture went viral after South Korean markswoman Kim was branded “the coolest person ever” at the Olympics by the internet.
The 31-year-old placed second in the women’s 10-meter air pistol competition, barely behind her flatmate and fellow countrywoman Oh Ye-jin, who won gold.
Although Kim gained new admirers with her Olympic performance, it is a resurrected video clip from a May competition that has started a wave of praise on social media.
In the clip, which was captured during the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup, Kim is seen setting a world record in the 25-meter air pistol competition.
Kim shoots her shots while sporting a black backward-facing cap over her cropped hair and Terminator-style spectacles.
She reacts to the results of her record-breaking efforts with complete indifference – a behaviour that has earned her the title of “the coolest person ever.”
Kim was also called a “badass” as she was seen carrying her daughter’s toy elephant in her non-shooting hand while rocking a bespoke pair of shooting glasses.
Fans flooded social media with appreciation of Kim’s “main character” moment – a term coined to describe a person who acts as though they are the protagonist of their own story.
Commenting on the viral video, one viewer wrote: “This is the coolest anyone has ever looked while breaking a world record.”
Another replied: “This is the coldest s***. I’m obsessed”
A third comment read: “And she’s nonchalant about it, oh she’s the coldest main character out there.”
