Some of the Tokyo Olympics' best moments happened behind the scenes, off the competition floor. One such moment was when Tom Daley, Olympic Gold Medallist Diver from Britain, was photographed knitting in the spectator stands in between events.

The avid knitter has been spotted needling away on various occasions during the games, and even signing for a package of freshly delivered yarn to the Olympic village. He later revealed on his knitting instagram, @MadewithLovebyTomDaley, that he had knitted a pouch to store his Gold medal from the games, as well as a cardigan to commemorate his experience in Tokyo.

Tom Daley's knitting adventures were as much in the spotlight as his very impressive performance in the Men's Synchronised Diving event - many found his passion for knitting heartwarming, especially when it was learnt that he not only knitted for himself, but had earlier knitted a cardigan for his friend, Cheong Jun Hoon, who represented Malaysia in the Women's diving event.

As avid sewers here at Free Movement, we can't help but adore Tom, not only for his excellent crafting skills, but also for his openness on how crafting helped him stay calm for his events and also helped him to maintain his energy levels in between events. The olympian shared his experience with the world on his social media platforms and various interviews, and in doing so, taught us a very valuable lesson:

Crafting and Sporting/Dance go hand in hand.

Many people often see sporting and crafting as having diametrically opposing natures, and as such often chose one over the other. The fact is, the two can compliment each other! Tom used his knitting to improve his state of mind for his sport, but also used his sport as an inspiration for his knitting ideas! This applies to all crafts and dance types. Here at Free Movement, we adore sewing because it can be channelled into helping your dance and fitness goals and dreams (for example, by making dance and activewear that give you confidence), and dance/fitness activities serve as the very inspiration for which we sew! 

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Has Tom Daley inspired you to start a craft? Why not try your hand at sewing so that you can start creating your own dance and active wear! Check out our sewing courses here for more information.