Turkish Olympic shooter Yusuf Dikeç has become the latest sensation on social media, with internet users reimagining him as characters in a variety of Hollywood blockbuster movies ranging from 'Hitman to 'Pulp Fiction' and even 'John Wick'.
The trend started when a fan-made poster featuring Dikec as the titular character in 'Hitman' went viral. The shooter’s expression and clam and cool aim while taking his Silver medal winning shot, made him a natural fit for internet memes and some creative posters.
One particularly popular poster depicted Dikec taking amin with John Travolta's Vincent Vega and Samuel L Jackson's Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece 'Pulp Fiction'.
As the creativity continued to flow, many fan-casted him in Hollywood roles ranging from John Wick to James Bond and Avengers. Another even gave the sports star an Anime avatar.
His picture, being one of the most iconic ones yet to come from the games, netizens declared, "I’m gonna tell my kids these were the Avengers."
Yusuf and his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won silver on Tuesday for Turkey in the mixed team 10m air pistol, losing to Serbia in the gold medal match. He had social media buzzing over his decision to wear standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually slung in his pocket.
Other than his pistol, he notably had none of the specialised equipment used by athletes in the hyper-precise event, like headphones, special lenses or a hat.
Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist said Thursday he was unfazed by his new-found fame making him an overnight Internet sensation. Speaking to Turkish channel TGRT Haber, Dikec acknowledged that he had adopted the rare technique of shooting with both eyes open whereas most athletes keep one closed or obscured. He said winning a medal was no surprise as "this year we prepared a lot and worked a lot... this success belongs to all of Turkey."
"Success doesn't come with your hands in your pockets."
