Miles Chamley-Watson is a 26-year-old, 6-4 New Yorker with bleached hair and tattoos covering his arms, chest and ribs. He's a part-time model, indulges in Korean barbecue and hangs out with the A$AP Mob. He was born in London and grew up loving soccer.
He is also the only American world champion fencer in foil, winning the 2013 crown in Budapest.
So how did this American immigrant pick up a sword? As a 10-year-old, he kept finding himself in detention.
"I was mischievous, getting in trouble, pranking people," Chamley-Watson says. "I was a pain in the butt in class. I had the [British] accent, so that saved me a little bit."
It was in detention, where Chamley-Watson was first introduced to fencing and told by a teacher he could do well in the sport. "I was always very good at sports -- soccer, basketball," he says. "At 14 or 15, I started taking fencing seriously. It helped me focus because I was so interested in it. And then I stopped getting in as much trouble.
"I was like, 'Oh, every little kid wants a sword,' so I picked it up and had fun with it."
Chamley-Watson bounced around schools as a youth. He started at P.S. 87 on New York's Upper West Side, but soon transitioned to the Dwight School. Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Chamley-Watson and his family moved to Philadelphia, where he was "kind of kicked out" of a prep school. He was sent to The Knox School, a boarding school on Long Island, for high school. Throughout all these years, Chamley-Watson continued making the commute to Manhattan's Fencers Club, where he has been coached by power couple Irene and Simon Gershon.
Chamley-Watson's talent was recognized early, and it led him to a scholarship opportunity at Penn State, where he fenced for three years before training for the 2012 Olympics (he came back for his fourth year of eligibility). Fencing fell into place for Chamley-Watson, whose family had no background in the sport. But he cannot help asking, what if he did not find fencing that one day in detention?
"I would say president, but I wasn’t born in America," Chamley-Watson jokes about an alternative career. "So, I'd probably be a soccer player. I can still play honestly. I want to try out for the Red Bulls.
"My team is Arsenal, I was born in Arsenal's stadium, but I think it'd be cool to play for a New York team. My favorite players ever were Pelé and Thierry Henry. So I'd play for Arsenal or Red Bulls."
Chamley-Watson says he still makes one or two trips to London a year to visit family. But when he came for the Olympics, he wore stars and stripes, representing the United States.
"The first time I felt truly American was in the Junior Olympics," he says. "I made my first Junior World Championship team and it was the first time I ever represented America at the world championship level. And then, I felt really American when I went to the Olympics because that is the most American you can ever get. And then after I won the World Championships, and you hear the national anthem."
The 2012 Olympics set up a sure-fire Hollywood script for Chamley-Watson. About 14 years after leaving his birth country, he returned as a favorite to medal on British soil. But the dream wasn't meant to be.
"It was great because my grandmother, my uncles, aunts, friends were there to see me fence and that was amazing," Chambley remembers. "I was expecting to win. I was really young. But I put too much pressure on myself, and I just didn't compete at the highest level. But it was a great experience. We have the same team going back to Rio. So there's the same chemistry. I think the team is very strong, and any individual, you never know. But I think I'm looking like a very good contender. So hopefully I can come out there and really win."
Although Chamley-Watson lost his only match in London, he learned from his experience. He made some new friends, like LeBron James.
"We're getting physical therapy, and he's right there in the ice tub," Chamley-Watson remembers. "Then I met him at a Nike thing. But the first time I ever interacted with him was getting physical therapy next to him. He does remember who I am, which is kind of cool."
This time around, Chamley-Watson says the athlete he hopes to meet is Neymar, the Brazilian footballer who will be playing in his homeland.
In the U.S., there are people who want to meet Chamley-Watson. During his interview with ThePostGame at the Fencers Club, Chamley-Watson took time to shake hands and pose for pictures with kids starting their training.
"People ask, 'Are you the fencing guy?'" Chamley-Watson says. "'Are you the blonde guy? Are you the guy from Instagram?' I'll be like, 'Yeah.' It's cool to get recognized by people who aren't in the same world as you. I mean, I'm not David Beckham ... yet."
Chamley-Watson thinks he has become more recognizable thanks to Olympic billboards and of course, his hair. "I did it in London, and I decided to keep it for Rio," he says. "It's super distinctive."
And it's all thanks to detention. (Not that he endorses getting in trouble).
More Olympic Games:
-- How Christen Press Stays Sane Despite Crazy Schedule
-- Allyson Felix: Who Inspired Her, How She Takes Her Coffee And More Fun Facts
-- Mike Conley Jr.: When Your Dad Is An Olympian
Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
