An Olympian Proposed To His Girlfriend With 2,738 Roses For An Iconic Reason

Is it possible to watch the Olympics without shedding a tear? As if the heart-pounding races and emotional podium moments weren’t enough to make you sob, now there’s an adorable proposal to sniffle about, too.

On Monday, Aug. 5, Olympic rower Justin Best proposed to his high school sweetheart, Lainey Duncan, in front of the Eiffel Tower, where the couple was surrounded by 2,738 yellow flowers that represented each day they’d kept their Snapchat streak alive — that’s every single day for seven-and-a-half years.

“We actually had a Snapstreak going that started back on April 6, 2015 but lost it when we traveled to Disney World and spent the day at the water park,” Best tells Bustle. “We restarted and it still reminds us that all those thousands of days ago, we were together at the happiest place on earth.”

The romantic scene went down live on the Today show days after Best, 26, won his first gold on Aug. 1 in coxless men’s four rowing alongside teammates Nick Mead, Michael Grady, and Liam Corrigan, marking the first time the United States has won the event since 1960.

The flowers, provided by Snapchat, surrounded the couple’s family and friends who watched as Best gave an Olympics-worthy speech. As he told People, “I got the gold and the girl, and she got the diamond.”

Best And Duncan’s Snapchat Backstory

Best and Duncan grew up in Pennsylvania. “She was one class below me at Unionville High School where I graduated in 2015 and her in 2016,” he says. “We actually met as dance partners in our high school play.”

Best went on to study at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he majored in business and engineering and was part of the rowing team. Duncan also went to Drexel where she majored in fashion/apparel design. He competed in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Throughout it all, Snapchat became a way for the two to stay connected. “Because of my schedule training as a rower, I travel very often,” Best tells Bustle. “For seven-and-a-half years, [it’s] been our main form of communication and it makes the distance so much easier. I feel like sending Snaps lets us talk with pictures and truly share our days with one another in a way texts just can’t.”

According to Best’s Team USA Olympic bio, the athlete got his start in rowing after his family watched The Social Network. They realized their son had a similar upper body type to the rowers in the movie, so they signed him up for summer camp the very next day.

Duncan has also been supportive of Best’s rowing. In fact, during the proposal, he referred to a moment from their first date when he told Duncan that he planned to go to the Olympics someday, and she immediately replied, “Absolutely, go for it.”

“Most recently, for the seven months leading up to Paris, I had to travel for training and competitions,” Best says. “Even though we were apart for that time, I felt she was with me at every stage.”

Best and Duncan would exchange daily good mornings, goodnights, and Snaps throughout the day. “Even in the village, I was sending her Snaps of our gear, the dining hall, and more — she was basically right there with me.”

The couple’s collection of Snapchats goes way back to include a trip to the Ocean City boardwalk, a fancy night out for a college formal, and the most iconic Snap of them all — the original dog filter.

After proposing, Best and Duncan’s story immediately went viral. The moment has hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. Here’s how it all went down.

“I got the gold and the girl.”

Best’s proposal was a surprise to Duncan, who was shocked as her boyfriend got down on one knee, according to Today. He said he was “just as nervous as I was lining up for the start line... If I had a heart rate monitor on, I might be 130 beats per minute.”

On TikTok, the Today show’s comments section was overflowing with congratulations. One person wrote, “Soooooo beautiful, omg love it.” Another said, “I love LOVE. Congratulations!” while another said, “Wow, I want to be proposed to like that.”

“We have gone through everything in our adult lives together and I have seen her grow into an amazing woman and she has guided me into the man I am today,” Best told People. “I am so happy I get to spend the rest of my life with this amazing human, and hopefully raise a family together.”

In case you’re wondering? The ring is a 2.01-carat emerald-cut diamond in a solitaire platinum setting. “She always had an extraordinary stack of rings on her hands so I wanted to get her one that could support any variation of rings she has on that day,” Best told People. The Olympian reportedly bought the ring last December, and his dad brought it to Paris — Duncan’s favorite city — for the proposal.

Maybe Best’s next gold will be on his finger.