Miles Chamley-Watson still remembers the moment nine years ago when he arrived at the Met Gala table to survey the world’s most glamorous fashion event.
With Madonna to his right and Rihanna to his left, the London-born American fencer became an unexpected filler in the popular royal sandwich. Also on his desk was seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, who later became Chumley Watson’s “best friend”.
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It’s an unlikely position for a man whose primary career is in one of the Olympics’ most niche sports.
“I thought: ‘Wow, what am I doing here?'” Chumley-Watson recalled. “It’s crazy — I watched these guys, listened to them growing up, and I sat at the same table as them.
“You realize that everyone here is the best at what they do. It was really, really cool. That was my first taste of celebrity.
“I was probably the only one at the table where everyone was asking: ‘Who the hell is this blonde, 6-foot-5 fencing guy?’ From there, things changed for me.”
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Chamley-Watson, 36, has been one of the world’s leading fencers for more than a decade.
He competed in three Olympics, winning a team bronze medal in 2016 and foil gold in 2013, becoming the first American male to win an individual world title.
His latest dream is to bring the sport into the mainstream with the launch of the World Fencing Federation this week.
But after making his debut at the 2012 London Olympics, he entered the world of fashion modeling, which thrust him into an entirely different public sphere – a world of celebrities and private jets not usually associated with fencing.
Over the past year, Chumley-Watson has launched her own Nike sneakers, collaborated with numerous luxury brands and appeared at an event with supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
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He describes Hamilton as a “brother” and his 450,000 Instagram followers often see photos of the pair enjoying themselves together around the world.
The man whose social media handle is @fencer has an influence that extends beyond the sport itself.
“My life is crazy,” he admits. “I wanted to tell my teammates, I wanted to talk to them about it, but it was so irrelevant. Even to me, it was really crazy.”
Miles Chamley-Watson attends the 2025 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix [Getty Images]
It’s a far cry from his humble beginnings and unusual path into the sport. Chumley-Watson, who grew up in London and moved to New York with his family when he was nine, describes himself as a “bad boy”.
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After struggling with severe ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and being expelled from multiple schools, he received a grant to attend a leading private school in Manhattan. The condition is that he must take part in tennis, badminton or fencing as a means of concentration. He chose the latter.
“If you think of fencing, we’re fencing,” says the Arsenal fan, whose British accent is still evident decades after leaving London. “I was like: ‘Yuck, this is the coolest sport in the world.'”
His academic performance improved and he discovered a natural interest in fencing. But Chumley-Watson said he felt like he “didn’t belong here.”
“Growing up, there was no one who looked like me,” he added.
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“But once I started winning, it didn’t matter where I came from. You put on a mask and we’re all the same.
“That’s what makes fencing so unique. It’s like Bruce Wayne turning into Batman. With the mask on, you feel like you can do anything you want.
“But I don’t feel comfortable at all. I’ve been dealing with racism in this sport since I was 14.”
Those experiences were instrumental in his creation of the World Fencing Federation, which will launch Saturday in Los Angeles.
He hopes the competition will become more mainstream in the sport, inspiring “boys, girls, brown people, black people, anyone from all walks of life” to give fencing a try.
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In the inaugural event, 12 of the world’s top fencers were divided into two teams and competed for a prize of $100,000 (£74,000) – unheard of for a sport aspiring to professionalism.
Featuring improved scoring and new AI-powered blade tracking technology that allows viewers to see the rapid movement of the sword, the goal is to make fencing “shorter, easier to understand, and more visually appealing.”
Not everyone agrees, with some traditionalists not supporting the new format.
“Unfortunately, you do have to piss some people off to really make big changes in the sport, especially a sport as traditional as fencing,” Chumley-Watson said. “We have the power to change a sport forever.”
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Seven-time Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles is one of many high-profile sports and entertainment figures to post on social media about the event, which is expected to be attended by a large number of VIP guests. So, will Ferrari driver Hamilton attend?
“He’s my best friend, so what does a best friend do?” Chumley-Watson said. “When you have people like that, whenever you’re not working, you support each other. There’s no F1 race that weekend, so that’s your answer.”
Fencing is about to get even more glamorous.