We're all about pushing boundaries and standing in our truth to showcase our authentic selves. So when we had the chance to sit down and chat with 2 X Team USA Olympic Foil Fencing Bronze Medalist, World Champion, model and ambassador, Miles Chamley-Watson. He talks to us about how he got in the sport of fencing, what made him realize that this was something that he could do professionally, how he has blazed his own path, and his focus on growing the sport by bringing it into the mainstream while also empowerning children to bring them into the sport.
We also talk about how he continues to create a multi-faceted brand that incorporates the sport, his interest in fashion and ambassadorships that are synergistic with his brand. We also talk about his latest partnership and documentary with Daring Foods, a plant-based brand. Miles also gives us insight on how he trains as an athlete each day.
ATHLEISURE MAG: How and when did you fall in love with fencing and when did you realize that you wanted to go pro and do this as a career?
MILES CHAMLEY-WATSON: I was born in London and was playing football, cricket and rugby. I moved to NY when I was 11 and I was kind of a pain in the butt kid and would get into trouble. So as punishment, I had to pickup tennis, fencing or badminton. I ended up picking up fencing and got it right way and I thought, “wait, I can stab people and not get into trouble? This is awesome!” So, when I was 12 years old, I fell in love with it and I never looked back!
AM: Wow! As a kid I played badminton.
MCW: Woah and that’s a hard one too!
AM: It is a hard one and I didn’t like it, but we played it at every function.
MCW: Oh yeah, it gets intense!
AM: It does. But we can appreciate that you took that on. You’re a 2X Olympic Champion, who won a Bronze medal and you’ve won various World Championships. Can you tell our readers who are not familiar with foil fencing, what it is, what’s involved and how you win?
MCW: The key is to hit the person and not have them hit you back. It sounds easy, but it’s first to 15 points and it’s 3, 3min periods. So that can be from anywhere from 10mins to 30 mins depending on your fencing style. I’m very defensive so my matches don’t go longer then say 15 mins or so. I’m a quick one, I have ADHD and I don’t have the patience. So I’m more aggressive. So it’s 15 points and then there’s right of way action so there are 2 lights and then there is a referee who will look at the video machine and see who hit the person a little bit earlier and my goal is to simplify the sport so that it’s easier for the audience to be able to understand. That’s why it’s one of the reasons why it’s not on TV because it’s kind of hard to understand. I want to bring more visibility to the sport by doing stuff like this and being able to simplify the rules a little bit.
AM: That’s really interesting. Back in 2018, we had Dagmara Wozniak as our cover for our AUG ISSUE #32 and we shot her editorial where she trains at Manhattan Fencing and when we saw the lanes and could visualize what takes place, we understood it more and it was so different then seeing it on TV. Being able to see the mechanics up close, it was intense to watch that.
MCW: Right and that is saber so in foil, it’s different.
AM: When we think of fencing, it’s a powerful and an elegant sport. What do you do physically and mentally to prepare for the sport?
MCW: I’m lucky that my sponsor has a facility right here in LA which I will be heading to in an hour. I get up in the morning and I do meditation and journaling in the morning as the first thing. I then go to the gym and I do fitness. Today is Wed and it will be explosive work: deadlifts, running and sprints and then after that, I will go into fencing. If I’m feeling up for it, I will go into sparring. Now I’m learning that everyone is good at doing certain things, but how do you get to the point of being the best and I think that that is the mental aspect. So that’s a lot of reaction training, journaling and manifesting and this is incorporated into my routine everyday as well. It’s a full-time job.
AM: How long would you say that you are doing these things daily in terms of blocks of time?
MCW: I’d say journaling is 30 mins, I have my cup of coffee or tea outside of my balcony, then I go to the gym which ends up being about 3 hours because cool down and warm-up is 45 mins and then to workout is about an hour and a half. Then I eat, come home, relax for an hour and do some work and meetings like this and then I go fencing for about 3-4 hours. All in all, I would say 6 – 7.5 hours.
AM: In terms of your nutrition how does this play into staying in shape, optimizing your sport and ultimately supporting your lifestyle in general?
MCW: There’s nothing more important than nutrition! At one time, I didn’t care about what I ate. It’s a whole game changer for me and I just got my blood test back and I have to load up on all of these things. I have to start drinking these random things like coconut water, eating the white part of watermelon – it’s really weird. But now, I’m noticing the importance of nutrition and how important it is and to know about your body and how it fuels you. So I try to keep a healthy diet.
AM: You’ve partnered with Daring Foods and have a pretty exciting documentary that is out now. Tell us about Daring Foods and how this partnership came about.
MCW: Yeah yeah – I’m so excited! I actually knew about Daring for awhile because I was trying to incorporate plant-based in my diet so that I could have a well balanced diet as well. I’m not just vegan or plant-based, I like to incorporate both. I love the product, it tastes good and the ingredients didn’t make my stomach rumble. Because nowadays, there are so many companies that have kind of saturated the industry and I got the chance to look up the company before and to meet Ross and the Daring team. It was a perfect match because they are disrupting a space that has been around for a number of years and I’m doing the same thing in my sport. It was literally the most organic relationships that has fostered this campaign and you can tell that this is powerful and we’re speaking to kind of just challenging ourselves and making Daring Moves and kind of pushing the boundaries and limits which is what I’m all about and what they’re all about. It was lovely to like the product before meeting them and then meeting them was the cherry on top and it’s been great and we’re all a family now!
AM: How was it participating in Daring Moves?
MCW: It was phenomenal! It was amazing! Molly Schiot who directed it, the entire team – they were so professional. It was one of the most creative and fulfilling projects and campaigns that I have done in a long time. It speaks to things that are bigger than just me. I think that it will inspire people and just the message of being daring, everyone in their walk of life is able to understand. In your job and in my job, it’s important and a great characteristic to have. It’s literally a match made in heaven.
