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<\/p>\nPita Taufatofua, Tonga\u2019s Oiled-Up Summer Olympic Hunk, Just Qualified for the *Winter* Olympics<\/b>
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Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan taekwondo athlete who gained instant viral fame when he entered the arena in Rio de Janeiro oiled up and shirtless, has just qualified for the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, as a cross-country skier.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s an unusual achievement, since there is no snow in Tonga. He\u2019s just the second Tongan to ever compete in the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n
Taufatofua raised money for training with some funny videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The training didn\u2019t always go as planned.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what he\u2019ll wear to the opening ceremonies.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Guardian<\/em> reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n The 34-year-old,\u00a0who went viral<\/a>\u00a0when he stepped into the limelight at the opening ceremony in Brazil, told the Olympic Channel that he had made it after a last ditch attempt in Iceland.<\/p>\n \u201cI have just qualified Tonga for the\u00a0Winter Olympics<\/a>,\u201d he declared in a Facebook live<\/a> interview from near the Arctic Circle.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was the last day of the qualification process, this was my last race possible and we did it. We have done it,\u201d beamed the Australian-based athlete, wrapped up against the freezing cold. \u201cI had seven races and they all failed. I did my best but I fell short each time and I thought there\u2019s one race left, it\u2019s at the end of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The Royal Tonga Ski Federation\u00a0congratulated him on its Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Taufatofua had announced his intention to become Tonga\u2019s first male<\/a> Olympic cross-country skier at the end of 2016 as he looked for a new challenge after exiting the Rio taekwondo competition in the first round.<\/p>\n Good luck.<\/p>\n The post Pita Taufatofua, Tonga\u2019s Oiled-Up Summer Olympic Hunk, Just Qualified for the *Winter* Olympics<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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