Advertisement

Tom Daley knits special medal pouch after winning Tokyo Olympic gold - 'It's kept me sane':

Watch: Daley 'speechless' after winning gold

Tom Daley has added to his skill set in Tokyo by knitting a commemorative, scratch-free 'medal cosy' after finally landing a first Olympic gold on Monday.

Daley, who had previously won two Olympic bronze medals, and diving partner Matty Lee won a thrilling men's synchronised 10m platform gold at Tokyo 2020.

It was a breakthrough gold for Daley in his fourth Olympic Games as he wiped away tears on the podium after the pair broke China's 20-year stranglehold in the synchro event.

The 27-year-old has now made a special pouch for the Tokyo medal after taking up knitting and crocheting to deal with the rigours of lockdown.

"The one thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting, crocheting and all things stitching," he said.

With a Union flag and the Japanese flag on either side, he took to his Made With Love By Tom Daley Instagram account to share the news.

He said: "It all tucks in nicely with a little pouch for me to carry around my little medal to stop it getting scratched."

Daley set up the Instagram page last year to showcase his colourful knitting creations and now has 100,000 followers.

With plenty of medals being handed out in Tokyo, the sight of athletes biting their bounty for the photographers, including Daley, is now seen as an Olympic tradition at presentation ceremonies.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Diving - Men's 10m Platform Synchro - Medal Ceremony - Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan July 26, 2021. Thomas Daley of Britain and Matty Lee of Britain pose with the gold medal REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Tom Daley and Matty Lee of Britain pose with their gold medals. (Reuters)

However, the Tokyo 2020 Twitter account jokingly wrote at the weekend that medals weren't edible.

“We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020 medals are not edible,” the official Tokyo 2020 Twitter account wrote.

“Our medals are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the Japanese public. So, you don’t have to bite them ... but we know you still will.”

Watch: British Olympic star’s journey from ‘rock bottom’ to gold medal glory