sweet

Tom Daley takes care of his gold medal in an unexpected and wholesome way

Tom Daley
Tom Daley demonstrates his latest knitting creation (Photo: @madewithlovebytomdaley)

We suspect British diver Tom Daley is still getting his head around the fact that he and diving partner Matty Lee took gold at the Olympics yesterday.

Daley’s been posting behind-the-scenes videos to his social media channels. Unless you follow him, you may be unaware that away from the pool, a hobby he loves is knitting and crochet.

He’s previously posted images of stuff he’s made, including clothing for husband Dustin Lance Black.

Related: The moment Tom Daley discovers he’s won Olympic gold with partner Matty Lee

Today he revealed that his latest creation was a woolen bag to protect his gold medal. On one side, he’s knitted the Union Jack, while on the other the red disc of the Japanese flag.

“If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I’m a bit knitting obsessed. And I kept banging my medal, so what I decided to do was make a little case for my medal,” he explained on an Instagram story while holding up the case.

“Now my medal is not going to get scratched.”

(Photo: @tomdaley/Instagram)

Daley has his own knitting and crochet Instagram (@madewithlovebytomdaley). He raffles some of his creations for charity.

On a posting to that page, he said, “The whole thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching, so I want to say thank you to all my followers on here.”

 

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@madewithlovebytomdaley)

Daley and Lee have been praised for their stunning, focussed, medal-winning performance. Knitting may be an unorthodox tool to help athletes deal with nerves, but if it helps Daley unwind, maybe there’s something to be explored here!

In separate Daley-related news, husband Dustin Lance Black told the BBC yesterday that he had been deeply moved to see Daley shed tears on the medal podium.

“To have watched Tom dedicate his entire self to this for the eight-plus years we have been together.

“I wanted this for him so badly and I think Tom has probably cried this [holding up five fingers] many times since I have known him and last night was the most meaningful.”

After taking gold in the 10m synchronized dive, Daley will now be turning his focus to his second event: The men’s 10m platform. The preliminary round will be held on Friday, August 6 at 3pm in Tokyo, followed by the semi-final at 10am on Saturday, August 7. The final will take place later that same day.

Related: Gay dad has the best reaction to son qualifying for Tokyo Olympics

 

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@madewithlovebytomdaley)

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