Tom Daley shows off impressive hand-knitted cardigan and raises thousands for touching cause
Tom Daley showed off his Team GB cardigan. (Instagram/Tom Daley)
After Tom Daley knitting poolside at the Olympics went viral, the diver has shown off his finished project while raising money for charity.
The Team GB gold medalist captured the attention of Olympics viewers not only for his excellent diving ability but also for his attentive knitting at the side of the pool.
Daley is now using his hobby to raise thousands for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of his dad, Robert Daley, who passed away after a battle with brain cancer. He has raised over £6,000 in donations for the charity.
Over the past few days, Daley has been conscientiously knitting a cardigan which features the Team GB logo and the Olympic rings on the back, the Union Jack on the left shoulder, ‘GBR’ on the right shoulder, and Tokyo written in Japanese on the front.
Posting on Instagram, Daley wrote: “When I got to Tokyo, I wanted to make something that would remind me of the Olympics to look back on in the future.”
“I designed a pattern for the colour work that would signify everything about these games!”
Sharing the finished item, he asked followers to consider donating to his fundraiser.
Daley is raffling off another of his designs in order to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity, with each entry costing £2. He wrote on his fundraising page: “I will be raffling off lots of things over the coming months so keep your eyes peeled.”
Tom Daley knitting is an Instagram hit
Tom Daley is a prolific knitter, and even has a dedicated Instagram page for his work. During the Olympics, he has also knitted a case to hold his Gold medal.
Daley’s father, Robert Daley, died in 2011 aged 40 after a battle with brain cancer. Robert was often with his son at the poolside and during press conferences when he was a teenager, and sadly died before he could see Daley compete in the 2012 Olympic games.
After Daley’s Gold medal win last week, he said of his father: “I know would have been extremely proud how I have become Olympic champion. It was always our dream growing up.”
Daley’s diving journey began in 2001 after he went to a “local diving pool and thought it was cool to see divers doing somersaults on the board.”
He “pestered” his father to take him to the diving pool, and later he would accompany him to “every training session, every competition, he was always there”.
Daley’s fans are extremely supportive of his knitting endeavours, with one commenting: “Following the knitting progress more than the Olympics itself at the moment!”
