As Tom Daley watched his teammates compete in the pool, everyone else was watching him in the stands
Great Britain's diving stalwart Tom Daley may be a history-making Olympian – his performance on Monday saw him nab silver, taking him to five medals from five Olympic Games – but long-time fans are just as impressed with his skills outside of the pool.
Namely, his knitting.
First spotted at Tokyo 2020, the 30-year-old father-of-two was seen knitting in the stands in between dives, and he's once again been snapped at it in Paris 2024.
Watch the video above.
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According to Daley's knitting-focused Instagram page – called Made With Love By Tom Daley – he's been working on his current cardigan since mid-July.
Great Britain's Tom Daley was seen knitting in the stands while he watched the women's synchronised 3m springboard final over the weekend. PA Images via Getty Images
The red, white and blue cardigan – which is mainly blue – will feature his initials on the top left sleeve, and the number five on the top right sleeve, indicating that it's Daley's fifth Olympic Games.
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Daley's cardigan for Tokyo 2020, meanwhile, was primarily white, and featured a giant iteration of the Olympic rings embroidered on the bottom of the back panel.
So why does he do it?
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As Nine commentator and fellow diver Sam Fricker explained to fellow commentator – and former cricketer Mark Taylor – on air on Monday during the men's synchronised 10m platform at Paris Aquatics Centre, Daley uses knitting to reduce pressure.
"In between dives, this synchro event's fairly quick. But when you're in individual and you've got 40 people in the event, you've got a lot of time to yourself, and you've gotta find a way to use up that time without completely switching off," Fricker explained.
Daley – who came second at the event alongside teammate Noah Williams, with the duo second at the event – explained his hobby to Today in 2022, calling it his "superpower" that helped him win his first gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
Daley, pictured here at Paris 2024, was first seen knitting in the stands at Tokyo 2020. PA Images via Getty Images
"It's extremely difficult," Daley explained of the preparation that would go into getting match-fit for Paris 2024 (at the time, he hadn't decided if he would try to compete).
"It took me 20 years to win an Olympic gold medal because it's really hard to be at the top of your game on that day and [have] everything fall in the right place," he continued, noting how he picked up knitting in lockdown ahead of Tokyo 2020 and it helped him stop overthinking.
"Most people exercise to get rid of stress," he said. "But my stress was the exercise."
Daley, who acted as Great Britain's flagbearer at the opening ceremony on the Seine, debuted as an Olympian when he was 14 at Beijing 2008.
He won his first Olympic medal with bronze at London 2012, winning bronze again in Rio 2016 and again at Tokyo 2020 – before finally winning his first gold that same Olympics with the men's synchronised 10m platform.
Daley took home his first silver medal, and fifth medal overall, on Monday with his men's synchronised 10m platform performance.
