Culture

Gold Medalist Diver And Gay Icon Tom Daley Knitting Poolside Is Too Wholesome For Words

He was knitting a jumper for a dog.

by Merryana Salem  2 August 2021
tom-daley

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There have been a lot of memes, both wholesome and otherwise, to come out of the Tokyo Olympic Games and now it’s Tom Daley’s turn.

British diver Tom Daley sat poolside today, knitting during the women’s 3m springboard final. Daley won gold earlier this week in the 10m synchronised platform event with partner Matty Lee.

When photos of Daley knitting by the pool were posted by the official Olympic Twitter account, people collectively lost their minds — but to devout Daley followers, him knitting is not news.

The medalist runs an Instagram account showcasing his impressive crocheting and knitting skills @madewithlovebytomdaley. His most recent uploads show off the adorable doggie jumpers Daley made for some friends.

Daley has also already stitched a little pouch to keep his gold medal in. The pouch, of course, is knitted with a Union Jack pattern.

 

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@madewithlovebytomdaley)

While any proud stitchers initially speculated Daley was knitting some sort of hat with a cream trim, he later confirmed on Instagram story that he was knitting a jumper for his friend’s dog.

“Learning to knit and crochet has helped me so much through these Olympics,” Daley wrote on Instagram.

Currently, Daley is working on a cardigan with ‘TEAM GB’ stitched on the back.

Not that you needed any more reasons to appreciate Tom Daley, but he’s also an out and proud gay man. After winning gold earlier this week, Daley used his time on the podium to speak to queer youth.

“I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone, and you can achieve anything,” he said.

Of course, Daley isn’t just at the Olympics to showcase his cozy creations and be an all-around wholesome dude. He will be competing for gold again in the individual 10m platform competition later this week.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Joe Giddens/Instagram