Turkish air pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has become an unlikely Olympic star after winning the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games.
The 51-year-old won silver without any special equipment (lenses, eye covers, ear protection) and has subsequently been likened to a hitman, though he’s in fact competed in every Summer Olympics since 2008.
His seeming nonchalance has been compared online to South Korean markswoman Kim Yeji, who also won silver in her event and has won over fans for just being impeccably cool.
Naturally, both sporting heroes have become the subject of video game memes.
If you haven’t seen the specific video, Yeji has been given “Main Character Energy” with this clip going viral, although it’s actually resurfaced from the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in May.
This image of Dikec, meanwhile, with hand in pocket, is what’s proved so inspirational.
One player recreated the pair in Tekken 8, which caught the attention of game director Katsuhiro Harada.
Though if they were actually in fighting games, their movesets would be very opposite.
X user Luisiiki has compared both shooters to Kim Kitsuragi and Harrier Du Bois from RPG Disco Elysium.
Dikec especially has been recreated as multiple characters, here as a Persona character, a Hitman protagonist, Red Dead protagonist, and Koana from Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail.
Outside of video games, there are plenty of iterations of the pair as anime characters too.
And here’s Yeji as Arcane lead character Jynx.
All we need now is for Yeji and Dikec to be actually added to a video game. Modders, I’m looking at you.
As for video games based on the Olympics, if you’re missing a Mario & Sonic game this year it’s all because the IOC is focused instead on NFTs and esports.
