01of 10Pita Taufatofua.Tasos Katopodis/UPI/ShutterstockWe love the Olympics for so many reasons. As spectators, we wait patiently to see grand feats of athleticism, tales of perseverance and, of course, the shirtless Tongan flag bearer.
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Pita Taufatofua.Tasos Katopodis/UPI/Shutterstock
We love the Olympics for so many reasons. As spectators, we wait patiently to see grand feats of athleticism, tales of perseverance and, of course, the shirtless Tongan flag bearer.
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Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua.Hannah McKay - Pool/Getty Images
03of 10Pita Taufatofua.OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via GettyTaufatofua first went viral for his shirtless, oiled-up look at the 2016 Olympics. (Ah, 2016, a simpler time!)
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Pita Taufatofua.OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty
Taufatofua first went viral for his shirtless, oiled-up look at the 2016 Olympics. (Ah, 2016, a simpler time!)
04of 10Ezra Shaw/GettyAnd while he is certainly a sight to behold, he’s not just there to look pretty and carry a flag (though those things are a plus): Taufatofua was actually there to compete.And he wasn’ttryingto cause an Internet thirst trap, either. He toldThe Guardianin 2019, “I was representing 1,000 years of history. We didn’t have suits and ties when we traversed the Pacific Ocean.”
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Ezra Shaw/Getty
And while he is certainly a sight to behold, he’s not just there to look pretty and carry a flag (though those things are a plus): Taufatofua was actually there to compete.
And he wasn’ttryingto cause an Internet thirst trap, either. He toldThe Guardianin 2019, “I was representing 1,000 years of history. We didn’t have suits and ties when we traversed the Pacific Ocean.”
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KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
06of 10Pita Taufatofua.Dan Istitene/GettyBut that wasn’t the end of Taufatofua! He returned to the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018, once again shirtless even though it was winter.It’s worth nothing that, more impressive than his abs is his degree in engineering from the University of Queensland.
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Pita Taufatofua.Dan Istitene/Getty
But that wasn’t the end of Taufatofua! He returned to the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018, once again shirtless even though it was winter.
It’s worth nothing that, more impressive than his abs is his degree in engineering from the University of Queensland.
07of 10Frank Fife/Getty ImagesMany were surprised (and delighted) to see the Tongan athlete at the 2018 games.
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Frank Fife/Getty Images
Many were surprised (and delighted) to see the Tongan athlete at the 2018 games.
08of 10Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/REX/Shutterstock.He had onlyever seen snow once in his entire lifeand couldn’t even afford his own skis when he decided to compete in cross-country skiing.
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Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/REX/Shutterstock.
He had onlyever seen snow once in his entire lifeand couldn’t even afford his own skis when he decided to compete in cross-country skiing.
09of 10AP/REX/Shutterstock.“I chose it because it made no sense,” hetoldThe Guardianof his selection in sport.
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AP/REX/Shutterstock.
“I chose it because it made no sense,” hetoldThe Guardianof his selection in sport.
10of 10GettyThis year, he’s once again competing in Taekwondo, though he had originally hoped to qualify for an entirely different sport: Kayaking! He decided to take up the sport after watching YouTube videos.In the end, it doesn’t really matter how he got there! The Olympics are all about perseverance … and standing out, right? And Taufatofua is a shiny (literally, the guy wears a lot of oil) example of both.
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Getty
This year, he’s once again competing in Taekwondo, though he had originally hoped to qualify for an entirely different sport: Kayaking! He decided to take up the sport after watching YouTube videos.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter how he got there! The Olympics are all about perseverance … and standing out, right? And Taufatofua is a shiny (literally, the guy wears a lot of oil) example of both.
source: people.com
