Pita is best known as the oiled up, shirtless Tongan flagbearer who achieved worldwide fame at the Rio Olympics in 2016, but that’s only scratching the surface of his story. Show notes | Episode 57 | Pita Taufatofua| 1.52 Seamus as one of millions who tagged Pita on Instagram back in 2016 and Steven learns about his exploits over the past 48 hours5.41 The 24 hours after the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro16.18 Would you do anything differently?17.59 On being a sex symbol and getting objectified in the media22.20 Growing up in Tonga and the influence of his family27.32 “20 years of work for 30 seconds of shine”31.03 The start of the Olympic dream in 199634.35 Turning down a million dollar Hollywood opportunity post-Olympics41.15 Giving back: using his platform as leverage to talk about social causes46.05 From taekwondo to cross country skiing54.10 Dealing with criticism57.07 The last race in Iceland to qualify for the Winter Olympics1.10.42 Sacrifice: $40,000 of credit card debt and losing people along the way1.15.37 Famous faces along the way: Snoop Dogg & Kevin Hart, Morgan Freeman, Prince Harry & Meghan Markle1.22.26 Trying to qualify for a third Olympics in sprint kayaking1.26.02 Pita on the Olympics and mental health1.29.48 Next steps? Paris 2024? Training facilities in the Pacific1.33.32 Last words from Steven, Seamus and PitaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.