Lainey Duncan, a former Irish dancer, received the surprise of her life when her boyfriend of nine years Justin Best got down on one knee in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday, August 5.
Justin, who recently won Team USA's first Gold medal in the 200m Men's Four rowing event in more than 60 years, got a big assist from NBC's The Today Show to pull off his epic Parisian proposal to Lainey.
Across the pond, the McAleer-Paulson School of Irish Dance in Delaware extended their warm wishes to former student Lainey on Tuesday, a day after she got engaged in Paris on live television.
"Huge congratulations to Lainey Duncan, former champion McAleer dancer, who got engaged to Justin Best, who was on the USA winning gold medalist 4 man coxless row team in Paris," the Irish dance school said on social media on Tuesday.
Lainey, from Pennsylvania, was a talented Irish dancer, competing in regional, national, and even World competitions.
"Congratulations Lainey and Justin!" the Irish dance school said.
Huge congratulations to Lainey Duncan, former champion McAleer dancer, who got engaged to Justin Best, who was on the...
Posted by McAleer-Paulson School of Irish Dance on Tuesday, August 6, 2024
There was another coincidental Irish dance connection in Lainey's Parisian proposal.
Among those who carried out the bounty of yellow flowers for the proposal was Deirdre McLoughlin, a certified Irish dance teacher who happens to be the physical therapist for the US Men’s and Women’s Olympic rowing teams.
Deirdre, whose mother, aunt, and uncle operate the McLoughlin School of Irish Dance in New Jersey and New York, can be seen beaming from just behind Lainey's shoulder as Justin proposed.
Deirdre's daughter Kathleen, also an Irish dancer, was also in Paris for the now-viral proposal as well.
You can watch a clip of former Irish dancer Lainey Duncan's engagement to Justin Best here, and watch the full video on Today.com:
Gold medal winning rower Justin Best just proposed to his girlfriend Lainey, live on TODAY! ??
Each yellow rose represents the time they've been together and the days they've have had a Snapchat streak! ?? pic.twitter.com/mobeT00SHb
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 5, 2024
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