Olympics diver Tom Daley made waves on social media over the weekend after pictures of him knitting while watching other competitions went viral – but one photo in particular left fans slightly baffled.
While knitting a Team GB jumper during the men’s 3m springboard preliminaries, Daley’s upper arms appeared to be wrapped in clingfilm.
Some people speculated that the plastic wrap was covering fresh tattoos, while others wondered if he was wearing arm floats.
Admiring the jumper Daley was knitting, one person asked: “Love the design of Tom’s Olympics jumper. Btw, has Tom got new tattoos as his arms are covered in clingfilm? Just curious.”
Another asked: “Any reason why Tom Daley is wearing armbands by the pool?”
However, the clingfilm wrapped around Daley’s arms are for entirely different purposes and are used to strap ice packs tightly to his triceps as part of his recovery from gruelling training sessions.
Athletes often use ice packs to help sore muscles recover, as the cold reduces inflammation and lowers the risk of muscle soreness and injury.
Tricep injuries are common among divers, as the muscle group can be affected by the impact of the water as the diver enters a pool.
In 2010, Daley suffered a tear in his tricep muscle while diving in the synchronised preliminaries of the European Championships with his partner, Max Brick. He was forced to pull out of the competition.
Daley, then 16, said at the time: “I’ve damaged a tricep and it seems there may be a small tear. The medical team and I felt it was best not to risk it and completely tear the muscle, which would put me out for three months and would see me miss the Commonwealth Games.
He was also pictured wearing the ice packs while training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Fans of the Team GB diver were pleased to learn something new about their favourite diver.
One person said on Twitter: “Glad I read the thread about Tom Daley knitting, there was some odd plastic on his arms. I thought to myself why does he need armbands… turns out it is ice to help aid his recovery. My new thing learned for today.”
Another joked: “If you were wondering, apparently he has ice packs on his arms, it must be to aid recovery from his extensive knitting.”
