In case you were following the Opening Ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Twitter, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was all about Tonga’s topless flag-bearer.

There were over 90 contingents, coming out with flags and their team. The Jamaicans shook a leg is true Caribbean style, India’s Shiva Keshavan and Jagdish Singh were sporting Himachali caps and Kazakhstan flag bearer came out in gull traditional finery.

But the entire social media attention was at once focussed on ‘Greased Lightening’. Greased who, you ask?

Pita Taufatofua, who became a global sensation when he oiled himself up and went topless as Tonga’s flag bearer at the Rio Olympics. Yes, the Summer Games. He had instantly became an online hit, racking up 45 million mentions on Twitter and later getting appearances on US talk shows and other lucrative opportunities.

The 34-year-old pulled off a rare feat when he became a dual Olympian who has swapped taekwondo at Rio 2016 for cross-country skiing.

After his viral Rio 2016 opening ceremony run, however, many expected to enter Pyeongchang in more conventional attire. With temperatures plunging as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4F) this week in Pyeongchang, Taufatofua said he would be keeping his clothes fully on.

“I want to still be alive for my race. It’s going to be freezing so I will be keeping nice and warm,” he had said.

But when he did some out with the Tonga flag on Friday, he didn’t have a top on. There he was, sporting the traditional ta’ovala mat round his waist, dancing his way in the freezing cold at the opening ceremony.

Just in case you’re wondering, the temperature at Pyeongchang was about -1 ℃ & the Opening Ceremony was held outdoors, unlike the last two Winter Games.

The daredevil move didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter with hundreds of tweets in a matter of minutes. Most of the tweets? Praise and awe, of course.

With inputs from AFP