Breezy Johnson’s 2026 Winter Olympics continue to deliver new highs. Four days after earning her maiden Olympic gold medal in the women’s downhill, the American skier got engaged at the end of the super-G finals on Thursday.
Competing in her second Winter Olympics and following a long break that included a 14-month doping ban, Johnson completed her redemption story on Sunday, becoming just the second American skier to win Olympic downhill gold after Lindsey Vonn. She nearly captured another medal in the women’s team combined event but fell short after teammate and childhood friend Mikaela Shiffrin struggled in her slalom run.
The 30-year-old began her quest for another medal Thursday morning in the women’s super-G final but suffered a high-speed crash on the challenging and foggy Tofane slopes. That disappointment, however, didn’t last long, as her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, was waiting at the base of the mountain with an engagement ring.
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Watkins got down on one knee as Johnson made her way down and proposed with a silver ring featuring a blue gemstone at its center. Although the U.S. skier later admitted she had suspected a proposal might be coming, she was still emotional and said “yes” as her teammates cheered.
Watkins later revealed he even had a backup plan in case Johnson didn't walk away unscathed from the crash, but everything worked out as planned. Along with the ring, he gave her a small piece of wood engraved with lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “The Alchemy.” It read: “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?”
Johnson shared that she may have once told Watkins that getting engaged at the Olympics was a dream of hers and with an Olympic gold medal already secured, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
"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 said, via NBC.
With Johnson’s Winter Olympics campaign over, the couple plan to celebrate their engagement with friends and family in Cortina. They are also hoping to make a getaway to Livigno, where other Olympic events are being held.