Breezy Johnson may have crashed during Thursday’s super-G finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but a pleasant surprise awaited her at the finish line, where her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, was waiting with a Taylor Swift-inspired marriage proposal.
After winning her maiden gold medal in the women’s downhill on Sunday, Johnson was chasing a second medal in Thursday’s super-G when she lost control on the challenging Tofane course and suffered a high-speed crash. She walked away unscathed, and when she reached the finish area, Watkins dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him.
Visibly emotional, Johnson said yes and shared a kiss as friends and teammates cheered around them. Watkins then delivered another surprise, handing her a small piece of wood engraved with lyrics from Swift’s “The Alchemy.” It read: “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?”
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Sharing the pictures from the proposal on her Instagram, Johnson wrote, "Hey guys... meet Connor! My ex boyfriend! And current fiancé!!! 💍 Thank you to everyone who made this moment possible. It was everything I ever dreamed of. Kind of like Connor!"
Among the many stars congratulating her, including childhood friend and teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, Swift herself joined in the celebration, commenting with another lyric from the song: "'Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me,' CONGRATULATIONS!!!" Swift commented.
It marked a dream ending to Johnson’s campaign at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The 30-year-old later shared that she had suspected Watkins might propose, having previously told him that getting engaged at the Olympics was one of her dreams.
"I just always kind of had the dream of getting engaged at the Olympics...It’s definitely a lot more crazy with everything just happening all at once, and the reality of it is so different than the way you imagined, and so much better,” she told NBC.
Johnson missed the 2022 Winter Games due to a knee injury and was later sidelined for an extended period after serving a 14-month doping ban. She has since redeemed herself with two gold medals at the 2025 World Championships and has now become just the second American woman to win Olympic downhill gold, capping it off with a dream engagement.