When Alex Rose was approached by his Chemistry teacher (and then-track and field coach) at the age of 15 with a view to joining the athletics team, neither of them could have imagined where that schoolboy would be now.
Ranked seventh in the world in the discus, competing in the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of his sport, and chosen as the flag-bearer for his country. A country, give or take, 6,700 miles away from his birthplace in West Branch, Michigan.
But the tiny island of Samoa is close to his heart, and his pride at the chance to represent them is as vivid and evocative as the traditional, symbolic Polynesian tattoo inked across his left side which tells his life story.
Discus thrower Alex Rose (pictured) will represent the island of Samoa at the Tokyo Olympics
Around a decade ago, he received an email in broken English from Athletics Samoa, asking if he would consider turning out in their colours. Saying yes would take him on a journey connecting him more deeply to his cultural and familial heritage.
Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail the day before he flew to Tokyo, he said: 'It was a good opportunity for me to immerse myself in the culture, travel and, most importantly, meet family. My dad was so happy. My father was born and raised in Samoa, by Tafatafa Beach in Falealili, so he was very immersed in Samoan culture.
'After I started competing for Samoa, I had all these questions for him. I kept asking, 'how do I say this or that' and 'what do I do in this situation' when I was visiting the island or travelling with Samoan team-mates - it's been quite the experience.
'It was fantastic (going to the island). The first person I saw there was my aunt, she was weeping with joy and it was a special moment. If I had never competed for Samoa, I would never have had the opportunities to go out there and meet my family and see my roots, where I came from.'
But in 2018, two years after competing at the 2016 Rio Games, Rose was still working full-time and his season's best was about 57 metres. 'Not good,' he said, frankly, and admitted he 'absolutely' thought about giving up trying to balance work and training.
The Michigan-born 29-year-old is bursting with pride to be Samoa's flag bearer for the Games
Those doubts are now long behind him, and in the Japanese capital on Friday the 6'2", 220-pound athlete will wave his country's flag with ardour, attempting to become the first Samoan of all time to make an Olympic final.
He added: 'It is an absolute honour. Primarily, I feel very, very sorry for the Samoan athletes who can't come (due to Covid). I truly want to represent them with as much pride as possible and I'll be thinking of them when I walk into the ceremony with the flag. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to carry the flag for Samoa.
'I would absolutely love to compete in an Olympic final. With the season I've had, I truly think I can do it. Once you get to the final, who knows, maybe I could compete for a medal too.
'The past few years have been very tough for every Olympian and the fact my wife Samantha has my back and told me to keep following my dreams means
