With an Olympics under his belt and with his normal confidence on display, Philadelphia native Miles Chamley-Watson is pointing his sword squarely at gold in Rio.
Chamley-Watson, 26, is the man known for his fashion sense, tattoos, sneaker collection and bleach-blond hair all visible when he isn't in fencing gear and American Flag mask. He was born in London, moved with his family to New York when he was 10 years old, then spent some of his adolescence living in Center City Philadelphia.
"Philadelphia’s a great city, great people," said MCW. "My parents still live here now -- I try to come back here as much as I can."
He would later go to Penn State where he had the "time of his life" while winning two NCAA national championships. [[388402421, C]]
For now though, MCW's travels take him to Rio where he hopes to redeem his non-medal performance at the 2012 Olympics in London by coming home golden this time.
He already has the Olympic Rings tattooed on his arm to match the medal he hopefully gets around his neck.
Ask MCW about his tattoos and he can tell you a story about each that adorn much of his arms and chest – including "8-9-13" the date he became the first American male to win an individual world championships.
He fights with power and technique unique to his large frame. The raw power of fencing still draws him to the sport.
"When you pick it up you feel super powerful," MCW said. "It was so intimate, it was so emotional."
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MCW wants to bring back some of the raw nature of the sport while advancing it forward like no one else before him. [[388950021, C]]
"It used to be a combat sport, it used to be really fighting for your loved ones," MCW told NBC10. "I want to come back to that... intense aspect that it used to have. I think it needs a new face. I want kids to identify with me."
And who he is behind the mask could surprise some.
"If you just don’t know who I am and I walk in the room you are like, 'OK, that’s not what I expected,'" said MCW.
He is more than just a face under a sponsored Red Bull hat, he is a world champion with a move named for him, "The Chamley-Watson," where the 6-foot, 4-inch, swordsman wraps his long arm around the back of his head to strike his opponent’s chest.
MCW enters the Games ranked as Top 20 foil fighter in the world, according to the International Fencing Federation.
His drive for gold begins Sunday morning as Men's Individual Foil gets underway in Rio.
