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That Greased-Up, Shirtless Tongan Olympian Might Just Be In The Winter Olympics

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Seeing as Tonga doesn’t have much snow, people are probably wondering how this former flag-bearer is one race away from becoming an Olympic skier. Well, it’s pretty simple–dreams y’all. Taufatofua put himself over $30,000 in debt and still can’t afford his own pair of skis, but he’s developed enough of a skillset and talent over the course of a year training that he may just qualify for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

After the Olympics in Rio, Taufatofua didn’t want to wait another four years to compete and instead, set out to pick a sport he can master and qualify for Pyeongchang. He told the Wall Street Journal:

“My research process was really limited, because I’m an impulsive sort of guy,” he said. “That looks hard—I’m going to do that. That looks impossible—that’s where I need to be. Cross-country looks like there’s no way I can do it in a year—therefore I have to do it in a year.”

But, somehow, he did. He trained in Germany with Thomas Jacob, who allowed Taufatofua to move in with his family and began training him. Jacob, who has trained beginners before, had usually started with children ages 8-10. But, seeing as Taufatofua is 34, it was a bit of a challenge–not to mention, he’s from a tropical climate. But, after a year of injury, debt, and training, Taufatofua may actually make it to the Winter Olympics after all.

Taufatofua is also trying to raise money to help him get there, and you can be apart of his dream by donating to his GoFundMe page here.

People on Twitter are so inspired after reading his story, that they’re rooting for him every step of the way.