Pita Taufatofua, the viral Tongan flag bearer from the last two Olympics, wants to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Games in two sports — his trademark taekwondo and an individual sprint kayak event.
Two problems: He hasn’t competed in taekwondo in two and a half years. He just started training in a kayak last month and keeps capsizing.
“It’s certainly going to be the greatest challenge that I’ve ever had to embark on,” he said. “To qualify is largely impossible.”
Taufatofua, 35, could be the first athlete to compete in a different sport in three straight Olympics (Summer and Winter) since the Winter Games began in 1924.