Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver in Formula One history, was seen in Paris with front-row seats to ‘bestie’ Miles Chamley-Watson’s final fencing match at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 4 August.
“Such an amazing experience to be at the Olympics and to feel the energy of the crowd,” Hamilton wrote in a post of Chamley-Watson on his Instagram.
“The dedication, focus and resilience of these competitors is incredible to witness up close. @[Chamley-Watson], I’m so proud of you brother. The challenges you’ve faced and overcome to get here is nothing short of amazing. Adversity makes us stronger and from it we learn our greatest lessons.
“The best is yet to come.”
The post came after the United States’ men’s foil fencing team missed out on the bronze medal in their match against host nation France, where Chamley-Watson was in visible pain after injuring his knee, but continued to fight through to the end.
Win or lose, Hamilton was there to support his friend, sitting alongside Snoop Dogg, Nina Dobrev and three-time Olympic snowboarding champion Shaun White.
HAMILTON AND CHAMLEY-WATSON: BROTHERS AND BEST FRIENDS
In an exclusive interview with the fencer earlier this year, he told Olympics.com that the two “became best friends” at the 2017 Met Gala and have “been inseparable ever since”.
They travel across the globe to support each other in their respective sports, including when Chamley-Watson recently went straight from winning team gold at the Shanghai Grand Prix to F1’s crown-jewel event in Monaco.
But in the off-season, they get up to much more than just spectating.
“We’re a crazy group of people,” Chamley-Watson said in the interview, referring to his friend group that includes Hamilton.
From Paris to Australia to Namibia, Miami, Japan, Kenya and beyond, the two have been found jumping out of helicopters, lounging on yachts, walking down fashion runways and even swimming with sharks… “which was terrifying,” the fencer admitted, laughing.
“We love to put ourselves in uncomfortable positions and the world is so beautiful. You’ve got so much of it to see.”
So although his dreams of a second Olympic medal did not come true tonight, the world is ready to see what’s next in store for Chamley-Waston.