Britain’s star Olympic diver Tom Daley was so excited to finally win a gold medal, he knitted a special pouch for it so it wouldn’t get damaged.
Daley, 27, runs a knitting and crochet Instagram account that he manages when he’s outside of the pool and posted a video Tuesday to show off the cosey he made following his win in the synchronized 10m platform, alongside diving partner Matty Lee.
“This morning I made a little cosey for my medal to stop it from getting scratched,” Daley says in the clip with a wide smile as he showed off the handicraft.
He knitted the Union Jack on one side to represent his British heritage and on the other, the Japanese flag to symbolize the Tokyo Olympics where he finally clinched a gold medal after failing to place above third in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro.
“It slots in like this. It all tucks in nicely, to have a little pouch for me to carry around my medal without it getting scratched. How about that?” he says in the video.
The “madewithlovebytomdaley” Instagram account was started in September and as of Wednesday, boasted more than 154,000 followers. The athlete uses the account to show off his myriad stitching creations, which include brightly colored sweaters, blankets and even a cozy, purple couch for his cats.
Daley explained in the video the hobby has been a crucial part of his well being as he dealt with the stress of his Olympic training and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I thought I’d come on and just say the one thing that has kept me like sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching,” Daley said.
“So I have to say thank you to all my followers on here for actually following along.”
Following Daley’s Monday win, he delivered a heartfelt speech about how he was proud to not just be an Olympic champion, but also a gay man.
“When I was younger I didn’t think I’d ever achieve anything because of who I was. To be an Olympic champion now just shows that you can achieve anything,” Daley said.
“I hope that any young LGBT person out there can see that no matter how alone you feel right now, you are not alone. You can achieve anything.”
