TONGA MAN Pita Taufatofua warmed up the winter Olympics opening ceremony by bearing his nation’s flag topless and greased up in -1 South Korean temperatures.
The versatile muscle man represented his tiny nation at the 2016 summer games in Rio in the martial art of taekwondo.
But he’s turned his hand to cross-country skiing two years on and has already attracted plenty of attention for his elaborate entrance.
After organizers provided windbreakers, blankets, heated cushions and hand and feet warmers, the ripped ace burst onto the scene wearing nothing but a ta’ovala skirt and a shell necklace.
The dedicated star managed to qualify after a gruelling stay in Iceland defying all the odds to make the games at the seventh time of asking.
He said: “After Rio, I needed a new challenge. Could I do a new sport, the hardest I could think of, in a year?
“We got to Iceland and a big snow storm had blocked all the roads – they had four or five avalanches that wiped the roads out.
“It took us three days of trying to get through. The closest I had come to succeeding was within 30 points. But this time, I blew it out of the water. It was the best snow race I have ever done.”
GAMES BEGIN Winter Olympics 2018 opening ceremony gets under way with show of Korean unity in Pyeongchang
The Polynesian celebrity revealed after his last Olympic appearance – in much more exotic Brazil – that offers came flooding in.
He social media sensation said:“There was movie stuff, modelling stuff, different sponsorship contracts.
“I didn’t realise how big a thing it would be for people, but my passion is pushing myself.”
Tonga Man is even considering learning a third sport in time for the next summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.
CLAIM YOUR FREE £30 BET Check out this new sign up offer from Sun Bets
Leave a comment