Tom Daley Dives Deep on Olympic Gold, Knitting, and Being a Dad
Photography by Bartek Szmigulski Daley adds that while being a champion is “not about the gold medals,” he still relishes everything about his recent gold medal win.“Initially, going to the Olympics was my dream, and representing Team [Great Britain].
Once I started to believe that I could one day win an Olympic gold medal, that was my aim,” Daley says of his decades-long quest to be the best at his sport.He came away with Olympic bronze medals in 2012 and 2016, but Olympic gold remained elusive until last year.
Daley famously wiped away tears as he and Lee collected their medals. The emotional impact of the moment remains with him, as Daley at times struggles to describe the intensity of the moment.“It was like one of those things that you just put your life and your soul and everything into that sport for so long that when you finally do it, it just feels like...” he trails off momentarily. “Yeah, it feels like nothing else can ever compare, honestly.”Winning that medal was a stressful process, and one of the ways Daley dealt with the anxiety of competition was with his newfound passion for knitting and crocheting, an avocation that made viral headlines in the days following his Olympic win.
He pulled off a classic April Fool’s Day prank this year when he posted to social media a new line of crocheted willy warmers for sale.
