How viral Turkish Olympics shooter motivates Kenya Sevens' Festus Shiasi to punch above his weight

Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec went viral on social media for his seemingly demure attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The most-shared images showed Dikec shooting in a t-shirt with one hand in his pocket, a seemingly standard pair of glasses and an impassive look on his face. He has been likened to a regular guy competing at the Olympics, or even a hitman.

Dikec won Türkiye’s second medal of the Games and their first-ever medal in Olympic shooting in Paris, finishing second in the 10m air pistol mixed team event alongside Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.

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KCB Rugby’s ace Festus Shiasi who represented Kenya in the Paris Olympics watched the shooter live in action, and while his performance seemed casual, Shiasi admitted that he picked a couple of lessons.

“That was my best moment; watching the shooter from Turkey who won without equipment. It was mind-blowing,” he offered, emotions still visible.

“From his performance, I learned to trust myself and train hard. If he did it without the equipment, it means that anyone can do it. Impossible is nothing,” he continued.

Shiasi has represented the country on several occasions, including the Africa Men’s Sevens cum Olympics qualifiers where Shujaa defeated favourites South Africa 17-12 to qualify for the Olympics.

In Paris, they ended their campaign in position nine, to record their best-ever Olympic performance.

Apart from the high level of competition, Shiasi revealed that meeting world-class athletes and playing at the Stade de France was a dream come true.

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“I met great players, we exchanged ideas, and everything was amazing. I also learned hard work, self-belief, and working towards achieving my goal. My goal is to see rugby grow and also make something out of the game. I want rugby to take me places,” he revealed.

The former Strathmore Leos player further expressed confidence that Shujaa have gained much experience in the matches they graced, noting that they are aiming for a top-eight finish in the 2025 HSBC SVNS.

“We expect Shujaa to perform well and finish top eight and top three finishes in some legs of the circuit. This time we have an able technical bench and a crop of players who believe in themselves so anything is possible,” he revealed.

Since joining KCB Rugby, Shiasi’s performance has been on an upward growth curve. The Christie 7s is particularly a key highlight for Shiasi.

He was named the 2023 Christie 7s Most Valuable Player (MVP) before helping the Bankers retain their title in 2024. It was also the first circuit win for KCB Rugby this year.

Nicknamed Smadi, Shiasi is one of the most promising players at the Den. Prior to joining KCB, he had stints with Mean Machine and Nairobi School where his career began. He was among the new signings at KCB during the January 2023 transfer window.

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The 26-year-old made his debut for the Bankers when he aided them to a 62-15 victory over Menengai Oilers back in February 2023.