August 2, 2021
Watch: Fans Marvel at Gay Olympian Tom Daley's Knitting
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
British diving champion Tom Daley thrilled fans when he took the gold medal in the men's synchronized 10-meter platform on July 26, but it's his knitting in the Olympic stands that's winning the hearts of fans and sports commentators alike all over again.
"There's Tom Daley – he's got his knitting needles out," one BBC reporter exclaimed, according to People. "What do you reckon he's crafting there?" the reporter added as Daley plied strands of yarn in two shades of purple.
The moment came "at the women's 3-meter springboard diving final" on Sunday, ESPN noted.
The Tokyo Olympics also sent out a tweet to mark the moment.
Daley himself had already told fans about his "love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching" in a Twitter video shared on the Twitter page for the Tokyo Olympics the day after his gold medal win.
Daley called his hobby "the one thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process."
The morning after his win, Daley said, "I made a little cozy for my medal to stop it getting scratched."
Daley also created an Instagram account for his knitting hobby called madewithlovebytomdaley. There, the Olympian posts photos of his colorful creations as modeled by himself and his husband, Dustin Lance Black, in addition to various others (including a dog and a cat).
The world-class champion showed himself to be just as much a pro at knitting as he is in the water when he unveiled a whole new knitting project this Monday: An Olympic-themed sweater that was quickly taking shape as he watched the day's events from the stands, prompting the Tokyo Olympics to send out an "Urgent update" about Daley's "Knitting action."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
