Team USA Olympic rower Justin Best celebrated numerous victories at the Paris Olympic Games this past week: Not only did the competitive athlete take home the gold in men’s four rowing—an accomplishment that hasn’t happened for the United States since 1960—but he also got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Lainey Duncan. While live on Today on August 5, 2024, the American rower got down on one knee and asked Duncan to spend the rest of his life with him.
While kneeling in front of the Eiffel Tower, surrounded by 2,700 yellow roses, Best proclaimed his love for Duncan on live television—and revealed when he knew she was the one. “Lainey Olivia Duncan, you are the love of my life,” he gushed. “You have been with me since day one. I knew you were special—it was the first date. I said to you, ‘I wanted to go to the Olympics,’ and you, without question, said, ‘Yeah, absolutely. Go for it.’”
Best continued, highlighting the qualities that he admires most about his partner, before ending with the ultimate question. “Your kindness is bent leaps and bounds,” he shared. “I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love you. This is going to be the easiest question of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and raise a family together. Lainey, Will you marry me?”
Without hesitation, and grinning from ear to ear, Duncan said “yes,” and the crowd surrounding them cheered. After putting the engagement ring on her finger, Best kissed his new fiancée, who joked, “You have red lipstick all over you. You look fabulous, you look fabulous.”
Best then explained the significance of the thousands of bright flowers that surrounded them. “Each yellow rose represents a day that you and I have been together,” he shared. “Obviously, we communicated through Snapchat. Our streak is 2,739 right now. So, there are 2,738 yellow roses from Snapchat. Our love is now immortalized.” Duncan, who was touched by the detail and overwhelmed with emotion, exclaimed, “I am so, so happy. This is the best day of my life!”
Best wasn’t the only athlete to get engaged at the Paris Olympic Games this summer. After Huang Yaqiong won a gold medal in badminton for China, her teammate and partner of nearly a decade, Liu Yuchen, proposed, Today reported. After saying “yes,” Yaqiong was in complete shock. “For me, this proposal is very surprising because I have been preparing for the gam,” she explained. “Today, I am an Olympic champion and I got proposed [to], so that’s something I didn’t expect.”