Jaclyn Narracott. Photo by Veisturs Lacis
University of Queensland alumni Pita Taufatofua and Jaclyn Narracott will compete this week at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Pita Taufatofua, who made worldwide headlines as Tonga's flagbearer at the 2016 Rio Olympics , will contest Cross-country Skiing following a well-publicised switch from Taekwondo. The Bachelor of Engineering graduate began skiing in January 2017, and practised on roller blades before moving onto snow. "After Rio I decided to find the hardest sport possible because I needed a new challenge," Pita told Olympic Channel. "I have had probably about 10 weeks on snow because there's no snow from where I'm from in Tonga, so we've had to use roller skis and they're the worst things ever made." The 34-year-old qualified for PyeongChang at his seventh, and final, attempt in Iceland. Pita is the first Tongan athlete to compete at both a Summer and Winter Olympics. "People don't see the hard work that goes on, they just see the shiny guy that walks with the flag," Pita said.
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