While Pita Taufatofua’s Olympic dreams might have sadly ended without a medal in Taekwondo, he still leaves Rio a bonafide star.
We were first alerted to his ahem, good looks, when he proudly waved his country’s flag dressed in a traditional Tongan outfit of a ngatu (tapa cloth), a kafa (belt) – and a whooole lot of body oil – at the Opening Ceremony.
RELATED: THAT Glistening Tongan Flagbearer + 5 Other Olympic Moments You May Have Missed
Within minutes of appearing his image went viral on social media with the world wanting to know who this man was.
Even Victoria’s Secret supermodels Alessanda Ambrosio and Adriana Lima were grabbing him backstage for selfies.
And just when we thought we would never see Taufatofua again, he stepped out on to the stage at today’s Closing Ceremony, oil and all.
And just like last time, the internet didn’t hold back with their admiration.
When Taufatofua isn’t becoming an international heartthrob and rubbing shoulders with supermodels, he calls Brisbane home where he works as a counselor. Swoon.
“I look after homeless kids,” he tells Sports Illustrated. “We have kids who are suicidal, who have anxiety or depression, and I help them with whatever problems they have. I’ve talked kids off jumping off bridges. All the problems that they have growing up that make them homeless … it’s very challenging.”
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