Pita Taufatofua became an overnight sensation five years ago when he marched shirtless and in a traditional Tongan outfit at the opening ceremonies in 2016 and 2018.
He repeated the performance for this year’s ceremony. Taufatofua walked alongside this year’s flag-bearer for Tonga at the Opening Ceremony in Tokyo on Friday (Jul. 23, 2021). He was once again shirtless and oiled up, which led to a lot of excitement on Twitter.
Bruce with the line of the night six hours into this athletes march as Pita Taufatofua comes out swimming in baby oil for a third Games running. 'He's the Usain Bolt of flagbearers." pic.twitter.com/tS7nFgBYzF
Taufatofua may have gone viral initially for his looks, but his athletic resume is also incredible. In addition to competing in Taekwando at the Summer Games, he was also Tonga’s only competitor at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He trained for just three months and had to rent equipment to compete in cross-country skiing in PyeongChang.
Tonga’s flag bearers Pita Taufatofua (L) and Malia Paseka (2L) lead their delegation as they parade during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021. (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
He initially tried to qualify for the 2020 Games in sprint canoeing but came up just short. He would later get back onto the Olympic team in taekwondo for the second time.
Flag bearer Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga leads their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
An engineer by academic training who lists martial arts legend Bruce Lee as one of his heroes, the 6’3″, 220-pound Taufatofua lives in Australia and also serves as an ambassador for UNICEF.
Watch Pita Taufatofua strut his stuff in the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony
More photos of PIta Taufatofua at the the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony
Tonga’s flag bearer Pita Taufatofua poses as he parades with the delegation during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021. (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)Tonga’s flag bearers Malia Paseka (L) and Pita Taufatofua lead the delegation during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony’s parade of athletes, at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. (Photo by HANNAH MCKAY/AFP via Getty Images)Flag bearers Malia Paseka and Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Flag bearer Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga leads their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Flag bearers Malia Paseka and Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Flag bearers Malia Paseka and Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Flag bearers Malia Paseka and Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga lead their team during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Hannah McKay – Pool/Getty Images)Flag bearers Malia Paseka and Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga lead their team during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Hannah McKay – Pool/Getty Images)
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