First taekwondo, then cross-country skiing... and now controversial athlete Pita Taufatofua is setting his sights on competing in a third Olympic sport.
The 35-year-old youth worker from Brisbane became an internet sensation as Tonga's shirtless, oiled-up flagbearer at the 2016 Rio Olympics and re-emerged in a traditional ta'ovala at lastyear's Winter Olympics in South Korea.
After competing in taekwondo in Rio, Taufatofua qualified for the cross-country skiing in PyeongChang.
Taufatofua is now aiming to compete in a water sport at the Tokyo Olympics next year, posting to Facebook that his "life is about to change again".
Last year, Taufatofua told NBC he was confident of success in the water.
"If I qualify for the Olympics in that sport, I will medal in that sport...[it] is a sport that's much more aligned with being a Tongan and being a Pacific Islander," he said.
On Radio New Zealand, he said: "I will hopefully be the first male in history to do three completely different Olympic sports in three different arenas. One of the biggest things I do is I set dreams which are impossible and then find a way to get there."
Pita Taufatofua suffered a crushing defeat in the first round of the men's +80kg taekwondo competition at the Rio Games. Photo / Getty
Taufatofua has been accused of cheating to qualify for the Winter Games last year. Photo / Getty
The way he got to Korea has raised concerns, with the International Ski Federation considering changes to the qualification system for cross-country skiing.
