©Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash
At the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, there's one discipline that doesn't award any medals, but attracts attention, likes and curiosity: knitting. Between events, more and more athletes have been spotted intertwining wool in silence, transforming this pastime into a true mental management strategy.
It's called 'knitting therapy': an informal practice that relies on repetitive movements and focused attention to reduce stress and keep performance anxiety at bay. In an Olympic context where every detail counts, concentrating on a knitting pattern becomes a way of slowing down chaos without extinguishing concentration. It's not an escape, it's control.
From viral phenomenon to Olympic ritual
The phenomenon began with British diver Tom Daley, who was photographed in the grandstand with needles and wool in Tokyo 2020 and then Paris 2024. These images went around the world, transforming a personal hobby into a symbol of normalcy and emotional resilience. Today, in Milan-Cortina, this gesture has almost become a collective language.
The Ben Ogden case
One of the most emblematic faces is the American Ben Ogden, the great revelation of cross-country skiing. In Val di Fiemme, he won a historic silver medal in the sprint, ending a fifty-year American drought. The last man to do so was Bill Koch in 1976. And when the interviews began, Ogden didn't talk about music or TV series: he talked about knitting. After the race, his body still charged with adrenalin, he explained that, to regain his balance, he was going to dive back into his various works: sweaters already finished, Joan of Arc-inspired gloves, and all that wool waiting for him.
Adam Runnalls: a ritual against Olympic pressure
And he's not the only one: Canadian biathlete Adam Runnalls also replaces the shotgun with knitting needles and balls of yarn once the shooting sessions are over, in order to regain concentration and balance during such a stressful period as the Games. Runnalls, 27, discovered knitting as a mental preparation tool on the advice of his coach.
Since December, hats and sweaters have been taking shape between training sessions and pre-Olympic camps. For him, knitting has become much more than a hobby: it allows him to slow down without losing sight of his sport. The detail also struck Internet users: in just a few days, the athlete's Instagram account went from just 1,500 to over 10,000 followers.
This success is not just due to curiosity. Adam Runnalls occupies a common ground between two seemingly unrelated worlds: that of sports enthusiasts and that of knitters. His presence has rekindled the debate on male representation in an often stereotyped world, by showing that even an Olympic athlete can draw strength from a slow, repetitive manual activity.
In biathlon, an extreme discipline that combines cross-country skiing and precision shooting, the ability to bring one's heart rate down in a matter of seconds is decisive. It's precisely this transition from movement to immobility that Runnalls works on. He even knits on his exercise bike, transforming the recovery phase into an exercise in continuous concentration. It's no coincidence that he explains that knitting allows him to 'sit stil' while remaining mentally active.
(©GreenMe.it 2026/Managing editor: Julie Morgan - The Press Junction/Picture: Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash)