Paris Olympics’ Most Viral Stars: The Bulge, Turkey’s John Wick and Pommel Horse Pro

Gold medals are great and everything, but how many athletes will be returning home from the Olympics with the entire world knowing about their impressively sized manhood? French pole-vaulter Anthony Ammirati became an instant viral phenomenon for an incident in which it seemed as if his bulge —and only his bulge —failed to clear the bar. While he may be the only Olympian to have shot to fame for that particular issue in Paris, there have been several other online sensations created at the Olympics, including a super chill Turkish shooter and a muffin-loving swimmer.Here are PvNew‘s top 5 most viral stars.

Yusuf Dikec, aka Turkish John Wick

Keanu Reeves’ deadly assassin was unwittingly dragged into the 2024 Olympics thanks to a Turkish shooter. Yusuf Dikec probably had little idea that he’d become a viral sensation when he stepped up to compete in the mixed team 10-metre air pistol event, but within hours of the event on Tuesday, a photo of his casual attire and nonchalant one-hand-in-pocket demeanor was bouncing merrily around the world. Whereas most shooters don visors, chunky ear-defenders and special shooting lenses that shut out distractions, here was Dikec looking down the barrel of his gun with just a standard pair of glasses and solitary yellow ear plug (all while wearing what looked like a standard t-shirt). And he would go on to help him team win silver. Many memes would follow underlining such a badass approach, but the best was to come when he posted a picture of him snuggling up to his pet cat. As one X user noted: “If something ever happens to that cat we’re about to get 4 movies out of this guy.”

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Stephen Nedoroscik, aka Pommel Horse Guy

He came, he saw, he pommeled. While Simone Biles may have been the star of the show, Team USA found an unlikely gymnastics hero in Stephen Nedoroscik, a Penn State alum with a degree in electrical engineering whose hobbies include timing himself solving Rubik’s Cubes. He also happens to specialize in one other apparatus — his sole reason for being in Paris and one he thankfully, absolutely nailed. As one X user put it, he “pommeled the hell out of a horse,” helping the men’s team to their first individual medal since 2016. Shots of Nedoroscik waiting for his (spectacular) turn with eyes closed and glasses on produced a barrage of memes, while his removal of spectacles to become the newly-crowned “Pommel Horse Guy” were soon compared to Clark Kent’s transformation from nerdy news reporter to Superman. Biopic writers are no-doubt already on the case.