Elon Musk joins viral trend involving Turkish Olympic shooter
PARIS
Elon Musk has joined the viral trend featuring Turkish Olympic shooter Yusuf Dikeç, whose laid-back, one-handed shooting style at the 2024 Paris Olympics became a social media sensation.
Dikeç’s iconic shooting pose was shared millions of times across various platforms, sparking widespread online engagement.
On Aug. 6, Musk shared an artificial intelligence-created video of Dikeç, which garnered 83 million views in a short period of time.
Dikeç, who won a silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event with his partner, Şevval İlayda Tarhan, at the Olympics, has taken social media by storm. His unique style, which involved no specialized equipment unlike his peers, has led many, including himself, to describe him as a “natural shooter.”
Thousands of people, including popular figures, have imitated Dikeç’s nonchalant attitude by posing with one hand in their pocket and sharing their photos on social media.
The trend was joined by Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who, after setting new Olympic and world records, posed with Dikeç.
Dikeç, who did not have a social media presence before the Paris Olympics, gained over 213,000 followers in just three days after creating his X account.
His first post, “Hello X,” reached 27 million views.
Musk, the owner of renowned companies such as Tesla, SpaceX and X, also took notice.
Liking Dikeç’s stance during the shooting with a comment saying “Nice,” Musk followed Dikeç’s account. Dikeç then invited Musk to Türkiye with a message that read: “Hello Elon, do you thnk the robots of the future will be able to win medal at the Olympics with their hands in their pockets? How about discussing this in Istanbul, the cultural capital that unites continents?” The message received 39 million views, to which Musk responded: “I look forward to visiting Istanbul, one of the great cities of the world.”
He also shared another AI-generated video of Dikeç on Aug. 6, where the pistol in his hand turns into a drink after his charismatic shot, garnering more than 83 million views.
