Olympic Rower Justin Best Proposes to Girlfriend Lainey Duncan After Winning Gold Medal

Olympic rower Justin Best scored two major wins at the Paris Games!

After becoming part of the first U.S. men’s rowing team to win a gold medal since 1960, the men’s four rower appeared on the Today show alongside girlfriend Lainey Duncan, where he surprised her by getting down on one knee and asking “the easiest question of my life.”

“Lainey Olivia Duncan, you are the love of my life,” Best told his shocked girlfriend. “You have been with me since day one. I knew you were special since our first date when I said to you, ‘I want to go to the Olympics’ and you, without question, said, ‘Absolutely go for it.'”

“You are stunningly beautiful, ferociously intelligent — your kindness is leaps and bounds,” he continued. “I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love you.”

Best went big for the life-changing moment, bringing out the couple’s family and friends who carried 2,738 yellow roses — one for each day of the couple’s Snapchat streak throughout their years together, provided by the social media platform.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you and raise a family together,” he proposed, down on one knee. “Lainey, will you marry me?”

Duncan answered with an emotional “Yes!”

“I am so, so happy,” she said, admiring her new ring. “This is the best day of my life.”

Her Olympic champion husband-to-be was also overjoyed, marveling, “I got the gold and the girl, and she got the diamond.”

Best’s proposal isn’t the only one to take center stage at the Paris Olympics. Chinese badminton player Huang Ya Qiong was surprised on the gold medal podium with a proposal from her teammate, Liu Yuchen, and Chinese diver He Zi got engaged to her teammate and boyfriend Qin Kai after winning silver.

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