Tonga's shirtless flag-bearer from 2016 Olympics qualifies for Tokyo Games

Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan flag-bearer who went viral four years ago with his shirtless, oiled-up appearance in the Rio Olympics opening ceremony, has qualified for this year's Tokyo Games.

Taufatofua is headed to Japan after winning an Oceania continental Olympic tae kwon do qualifier, although he only had to compete against one other competitor in his weight division for the spot.

The qualification means Taufatofua will now compete at his third-straight Olympics, having competed in tae kwon do in 2016 and cross-country skiing at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018.

In those two previous campaigns, Taufatofua was eliminated in the first round of competition in 2016 and finished 114th out of 116 in PyeongChang, 23 minutes behind the winner.