Riilio "Rio" Rii (born 22 June 1994) is a Ni-Van rower. He was the flagbearer of Vanuatu at the
2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, earning attention for his shirtless, oiled get-up compared to Tongan fighter
Pita Taufatofua
Pita Nikolas Taufatofua (born 5 November 1983) is a Tongan athlete in taekwondo, cross-country skiing, and canoe. He is also a UNICEF ambassador and motivational speaker and lives in Brisbane, Australia.
Taufatofua became internationally fam ...
. In the
men's single sculls race, Rii finished 30th overall.
Career
He started in the sport at 19, having taken up
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
before, and has won a gold medal at the
Commonwealth Rowing Championships
The Commonwealth Rowing Championships are a regatta for rowers from Commonwealth nations held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games. Rowing is classed as an 'optional' sport for the purposes of the Commonwealth Games, but is currently not in ...
, as well as appearing at three
World Rowing Championship
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of th ...
s.
References
External links
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1994 births
Living people
Vanuatuan male rowers
Olympic rowers for Vanuatu
Rowers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
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