The shirtless, oiled-up Tongan flag-bearer who stole the show at the Rio 2016 opening and closing ceremonies is now hoping to compete in next month's Winter Olympics as a cross-country skier.
Pita Taufatofua is set to compete in a cross-country event in Poland this weekend in hopes of qualifying for the Pyeongchang games, according to Joshua Robinson and Ben Cohenat of the Wall Street Journal. He competed in taekwondo at the Summer Olympics, losing to Iranian Sajjad Mardani in his only match.
As ESPN notes, the 34-year-old Taufatofua, who finished 153rd out of 156 skiers at the 2017 world championships in Finland, must meet a time standard in five races before Jan. 21 to qualify for the Winter Olympics. He has already met the mark in four roller-skiing events.
"I don't fear failure," Taufatofua said. "I fear not trying."