Tom Daley grabbed headlines for two reasons at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He won his first gold medal for diving, and he also would knit between events.
The British Olympian told ABC Audio he “never” anticipated to be recognized for his knitting over his diving — especially since he’s been doing one much longer than the other.
“I’ve only been doing [knitting] for 18 months now, but it was something that I found that was my mindfulness… It was my way of just being able to have a healthy distraction where I could just be completely present and in the moment,” Daley explained.
The 27-year-old is thrilled his passion has inspired others to pick up his hobby, and has launched Made With Love by Tom Daley, where he sends knit kits — complete with yarn, needles and instructions — to those who want to learn how to make their own handmade crafts.
Tom understands learning a new skill takes time and practice, so he urges those who are struggling with not to give up, because “the satisfaction of being able to make something for someone else” is worth the wait.
That said, the athlete firmly believes that there is one “old-fashioned” skill everyone should know — no excuses. “Everybody should know how to cook,” he remarked, and noted that everyone should have at least one hobby because “everybody should be able to have that little moment of escape.”
Inspiring others to try new things also gave him the idea to broaden his scope and learn other “old-fashioned” activities via Daley’s new Pinterest series, Tom Tries, where individuals from the baby boomer generation teach him skills such as bonsai tree gardening, pottery and more. It airs Wednesdays at 6 p.m. ET on Pinterest TV.
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