The Internet Is Obsessed With This Olympian's Crazy-Happy Dance Moves
David Katoatau, 32, first victory-danced at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, two years ago when he won the first-ever gold medal in any global sporting event for Kiribati. Yesterday in Rio, he lost during the men's weightlifting 105kg event, but danced regardless because he dances not only out of happiness but also to raise awareness for how climate change has devastated his country, Reuters reports.
"Most people don't know where Kiribati is," he told Reuters about his intent to go viral. "I want people to know more about us so I use weightlifting, and my dancing, to show the world." He continued: "I wrote an open letter to the world last year to tell people about all the homes lost to rising sea levels. I don't know how many years it will be before it sinks. We don't have the resources to save ourselves."
Videos of Katoatau have racked up millions of views over the years; The one up top has more than 1.1 million views in just under a day.
According to its government, Kiribati, which is located in the Central Pacific, is suffering "extreme coastal erosion not just of the beaches but also of the land," making it unclear how much longer the country's 21 inhabited islands will be inhabitable.
Even though he came in sixth place at his single Olympic event, TIME reports Katoatau kissed the bar and danced off stage to the biggest cheers of anyone: "I'll be dancing again tonight," he said.
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