The Paris Olympics will be remembered not only for the scandalous opening, but also for many bright moments. One of them was the performance of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikech. He attracted attention due to the lack of equipment, special ballistic glasses and headphones, as well as his pose with his hand in his pocket. In this regard, many people have a question – why do shooters wear equipment at all and what function does it perform? If it helps athletes, then perhaps its absence could have prevented the athlete from winning a gold medal?
The equipment of athletes helps them achieve better results in competitions. Photo source: sports.ru
Contents
- 1 What function does the shooters’ equipment perform?
- 2 Why do athletes wear ballistic glasses
- 3 What are the restrictions regarding equipment
- 4 Why did the Turkish shooter refuse equipment
- 5 Why did the Turkish athlete hold his hand while shooting in your pocket
- 6 What targets do athletes shoot at with air pistols at the Olympic Games
What is the function of the shooters’ equipment
Equipment plays an important role, as it performs several functions at once. First of all, it ensures maximum comfort for the shooter during preparation for a shot and directly at the moment of shooting. The jacket fits the body, giving it additional stability, and at the same time not restricting movement.
The ammunition also helps to fix the butt when shooting from a rifle. In other words, the rifle is held not only by muscles, but also by a special “suit”. Another advantage of the equipment is the convenience of shooting in different positions. For example, when shooting prone, the athlete does not experience pain in the elbow, and standing – in the shoulder. In addition, in the case of shooting from a rifle, the suit takes on part of the load that is on the back, because the weapon weighs about 7 kilograms.
The shooter's equipment includes a special jacket, a sun visor, headphones and tactical glasses. Photo source: ulyssport.kz
Usually, athletes also wear a special sweater to dampen their heart rate. Moreover, shooters have to wear it even in extreme heat to avoid involuntary fluctuations. Therefore, as the director of the Shooting Union of Russia Igor Zolotorev says, if you take off the jacket from the shooter, he will immediately stop shooting accurately.
Why do athletes wear ballistic glasses
Ballistic (sometimes called tactical, but this is not correct) glasses are a specialized type of protective glasses. They are widely used by the military, police, rescuers, hunters and athletes. First of all, this accessory protects the eyes from ultraviolet radiation, dust and other external factors that can cause harm.
As a rule, ballistic glasses have certain colored lenses. And they are not colored for beauty. Light filters provide glasses with certain properties. Thanks to them, a person can better distinguish objects, see well in the sun or at dusk.
The glasses protect their eyesight and help them see the target better. Photo source: baodongnai.com.vn
For example, green lenses allow you to see small details well, yellow lenses increase the contrast of the image, objects look sharper, which allows you to see better in cloudy weather.
What are the restrictions regarding equipment
The International Shooting Sport Federation has a number of restrictions regarding equipment. For example, its thickness should not be more than 2.5 millimeters. If the thickness exceeds this value, the athlete is disqualified. Measurements are taken before and after the competition. In the history of the sport, there have been incidents when the fabric swelled due to moisture, and the athlete was disqualified after the competition.
The suit is allowed to be supplemented with reinforcing inserts, but their thickness should not exceed 10 millimeters. In addition, the areas where the inserts can be are regulated, usually elbows and shoulders. However, at the Olympic Games it is not prohibited to take part in competitions without equipment at all, which is what Yusuf Dikech took advantage of.
Yusuf Dikech competed without equipment, did not close one eye and kept his hand in his pocket. Photo source: www.alanya-go.com
Why the Turkish shooter refused equipment
Yusuf Dikeç is a 51-year-old Turkish athlete, a retired officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie. As we have already told you, shooting is a rare sport in which age gives an advantage to an athlete, of course, within reasonable limits. Dikeç began his sports career back in 2001, and is participating in the Olympic Games for the fifth time.
But most people were surprised not by the athlete's age, but by his performance. As Jusuf Dikec himself explains, he is not comfortable when he uses equipment, glasses and headphones. In his opinion, shooting requires some comfort. During the performance, “emotions rage inside the athletes”, although they seem calm on the outside. The equipment distracts and prevents the athlete from calming down.
However, some experts disagree with Dikec and believe that he did not win the silver medal, but lost the gold one. That is, it is quite possible that the equipment could have really helped him achieve a higher result.
Yusuf Dikech's shooting style has spawned many memes. Photo source: www.maximonline.ru
Why the Turkish athlete kept his hand in his pocket while shooting
In addition to the lack of equipment, many were surprised by the shooting style of Yusuf Dikecha, who kept his hand in his pocket. This is what caused a wave of all sorts of memes, since his appearance was more reminiscent of a professional killer than an athlete. However, in reality, when shooting from 10 meters with an air pistol, shooters often keep their hand in their pocket.
During his performances, the Turkish athlete really looked like a killer. Photo source: www.maximonline.ru
For example, a woman named Shevval Tarkhan was shooting with Dikeç. Although she was wearing ammunition, she also kept her hand in her pocket. What does this pose give to athletes? In an interview with journalists, Yusuf Dikeç said that he holds his hand in this way to give his body more stability, stop swaying and feel more comfortable.
Many athletes keep their hand in their pocket while shooting a pistol. Photo source: livesport.ru
What targets do athletes shoot at with air pistols at the Olympic Games
Initially, air pistol shooting competitions were held at different distances, but later a standard of 10 meters was established. The targets also changed, or rather – they became smaller and smaller, which made the task more difficult for the athletes.
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Currently, the outer ring of the target has a diameter of 16.5 cm, and the ring of the mode number 10 has a diameter of only 1.15 cm. But inside it there is another ring, which is marked as “X”, its diameter is only 5.2 mm. Therefore, it is not surprising that athletes have to try hard to “hit the bull’s eye”.