I’m not exactly proud of this, but I think we need to address the elephant in the room: Yusuf Dikec (the Turkish shooter who endeared himself to the entire internet by literally just being chill AF) is a bit of a daddy. Some might consider him, dare I utter the word, a zaddy. If I’m being totally honest he’s giving father, but I’m going to stop while I’m behind. The 2024 Paris Olympics have introduced a whole universe of new side characters to spice up summer. Like everyone else glued to the TV during WFH hours, the masked torchbearer we still don’t know the identity of, the exes who won gold together playing tennis, and the Gen Z stars of USWNT Soccer Squad have stolen my heart (I just KNOW their group chat is gas). Still, with alllll that competition, Daddy Dikec has stood out as one of my favorites. If you, like me, are grappling with butterflies induced by a Matt Damon action movie side character, then you’re in the right place. Here’s everything to know about Olympic Turkish shooter, Yusuf Dikec.

Who is Yusuf Dikec?

Yusuf Dikec won silver for air pistol shooting

Image Credit: Getty Images

In the mixed team ten-meter air pistol shooting event, Yusuf worked with teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan to win silver. This was Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting. He placed 13th for the individual air shooting event, and plans to take another stab at gold for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. So basically he’s a man with goals, who gets things done that other men can’t…. groundbreaking.

Why did Yusuf Dikec go viral?

While most of the shooters slayed with some Dexter’s Lab ass espionage-worthy eyewear and specialty hearing protection, Yusuf pretty much raw dogged the competition by shooting with one hand in his pocket, normal reading glasses, and regular ol’ ear plugs. In fact, archived footage from previous shooting championships he’s won shows the glasses are a new thing. Yusuf just exudes what’s meant for me won’t miss me, and that means I won’t miss this target energy that is blissfully refreshing when it comes to the most competitive sporting event on the planet. Yusuf has seen and reposted some of the memes, so yes, he’s in the loop that he’s kind of that dude rn. I’d say stay humble, king, but something tells me I’m not going to have to worry about that.

Yusuf Dikec Is A Cat Guy

Another green flag alert!! The Turkish prince also loves cats, according to these painfully adorable selfies he posted with this kitty. His entire IG feed is actually a mostly caption-less dream. Quick, what’s the opposite of ick? If Yusuf wants to pay it forward maybe he should consider teaching a class to men in their 30s on how to be so on point all the GD time.

Does Yusuf Dikec have kids?

Yusuf has a young daughter who he did an adorable post-Olympic-win interview with. They joked about how she coaches him to use his breath to nail his shots because they both know he wants to come in first. The interview ends with a secret handshake… if I speak, I will be fined, so I’ll just say: cute!!