Quite honestly, I always have this thing about the Olympics, where I’ll enjoy watching all of the sports but then I’ll become absolutely sick with jealousy that I’m not an Olympian. Like, how much fun would it be to just hang out in the Olympic village and trade pins and go and watch other athletes compete? Why am I not there? Why can’t I do that?? I felt that so hard during the Paris Olympics in 2024, just absolute heartbreak and fury that I’m not an Olympian. It’s happening again with the Milano Cortina Olympics right now. I bring up my jealousy because I imagine it’s probably common among Olympians’ partners and significant others. So it was for Breezy Johnson’s boyfriend. Breezy, an alpine skier, won gold last weekend but she was back in competition for the women’s Super-G. She crashed out (literally). As she limped to the finish line, her boyfriend decided to make that moment all about himself. He proposed to her right there.
Breezy Johnson is bringing home plenty of hardware from the Olympics! Five days after the alpine skier won gold in the women’s downhill, Johnson, 30, got engaged to her boyfriend Connor Watkins in front of the crowds at the finish line of her final race on Thursday, Feb. 12.
A few minutes after competing in the women’s Super-G, where she unfortunately crashed and couldn’t finish the race, Watkins got down on one knee in the snow and pulled out a ring, and a Taylor Swift quote etched in wood.
A tearful Johnson said yes, as they hugged to cheers from the crowd. She later showed off the ring, featuring a curving band and a blue gem, and the quote — “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy,” from Swift’s song “The Alchemy.”
Watkins told NBC that he had been planning out his proposal for a year, and was “really hoping that I could get in the finish area and do it the way I wanted. And it turned out we could, and we’re just super excited.” He added that the moment had “gone above and beyond our wildest imagination.”
Johnson, for her part, admitted that she “may have told him that I just always kind of had the dream of getting engaged at the Olympics. I mean, that was my hope!” she said. “But 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.”
Watkins and Johnson said they planned to spend the rest of the day celebrating their engagement with friends and family in Cortina, before traveling to Livigno, where snowboarding, moguls and men’s alpine skiing is taking place, to watch more of the 2026 Games.
Let’s be fair to Breezy’s now-fiance: she told him that this was what she wanted, and it kind of sounds like they had talked about all of this well in advance, so he knew that she would be cool with a public proposal and an Olympic proposal. I kind of wonder if she wanted a proposal on the snow right after she crashed though. I mean… mixed emotions, to say the least. People always have strong (negative) feelings about public proposals, but maybe Olympic proposals are the exception to the rule? There were TONS of proposals at the Paris Olympics too. Also: the ring is so unusual! I guess it’s a sapphire, but it looks more like a fashion ring than an engagement ring.
An Olympic proposal! 😍
Team USA's Breezy Johnson said YES after her partner proposed at the Super-G finish line 🫶#MilanoCortina2026 #AlpineSkiing pic.twitter.com/GqAsNd5YNW
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 12, 2026
.@_BreezyJohnson just added another ring to the Olympics 💍🥹
Huge congrats to Breezy and Connor on their engagement 🫶 pic.twitter.com/lQASJPAMnb
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) February 12, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
- Olympische Winterspiele Milano Cortina 2026 Ski Alpin Abfahrt Frauen am 08.02.2026 im Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina dAmpezzo Breezy Johnson Vereinigte Staaten gewinnt die Gold Medaille *** Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Alpine Skiing Downhill Women on 08 02 2026 at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina dAmpezzo Breezy Johnson United States wins the gold medal xMSx,Image: 1073115141, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Revierfoto/Avalon
- JOHNSON Breezy USA bei der Nationalhymne bei der Siegerehrung auf dem Podium, freut sich ueber den Sieg und die Gold Medaille, ITA, Olympische Spiele Milano Cortina 2026, Olympia, Ski Alpin, Abfahrt Damen, 08.02.2026 ITA, Olympische Spiele Milano Cortina 2026, Olympia, Ski Alpin, Abfahrt Damen, 08.02.2026 Cortina d Ampezzo *** JOHNSON Breezy USA during the national anthem at the award ceremony on the podium, happy about the victory and the gold medal, ITA, Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, Olympia, Alpine Skiing, Downhill Women, 08 02 2026 ITA, Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, Olympia, Alpine Skiing, Downhill Women, 08 02 2026 Cortina d Ampezzo Copyright: xEibner-Pressefoto/Memmlerx EP_MMR,Image: 1073115208, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Memmler/Avalon
- JOHNSON Breezy USA jubelt bei der Siegerehrung auf dem Podium ueber den Sieg und die Gold Medaille, ITA, Olympische Spiele Milano Cortina 2026, Olympia, Ski Alpin, Abfahrt Damen, 08.02.2026 ITA, Olympische Spiele Milano Cortina 2026, Olympia, Ski Alpin, Abfahrt Damen, 08.02.2026 Cortina d Ampezzo *** JOHNSON Breezy USA celebrates victory and the gold medal on the podium at the award ceremony, ITA, Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, Olympics, Alpine skiing, womens downhill, 08 02 2026 ITA, Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, Olympics, Alpine skiing, womens downhill, 08 02 2026 Cortina d Ampezzo Copyright: xEibner-Pressefoto/Memmlerx EP_MMR,Image: 1073144365, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Memmler/Avalon
- Cortina , Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, 08.02.26, ITA, Olympische Winterspiele Milano Cortina 2026, Ski Alpin, Abfahrt Frauen Bild: v.li. Emma AICHER Deutschland, Silber, Breezy JOHNSON USA, Gold und Sofia GOGGIA Italien, Bronze bei der Siegerehrung Venetien Italien *** Cortina , Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, 08 02 26, ITA, Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Alpine Skiing, Downhill Women picture from left Emma AICHER Germany, silver , Breezy JOHNSON USA, gold and Sofia GOGGIA Italy, bronze at the award ceremony Veneto Italy,Image: 1073150893, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel/Avalon
















Before people get up in arms, Breezy made it clear in an interview she had hinted to him that she wanted a proposal at the Olympics. Being an Olympian is a huge part of her identity so I can understand why she wanted this. I think personally it would have better for him to do it after her victory during the race where Lindsey Vonn crashed. But maybe she told him please don’t propose to me until after I’ve done all my events (this was her last event) because proposing to her before she had finished all her events would probably have been a huge distraction. He had probably planned to propose to her no matter the outcome after her last event. Now at least she has a fun thing to celebrate even though she crashed in the race.
She seems thrilled about it so I’m excited for her. There’s no sense in criticizing her fiance, he did exactly what she wanted.
That’s the key point–he did what SHE wanted him to do. It was her event, her moment. She wanted her proposal connected to the Olympics because the Olympics are important to her. That’s good partnership in my mind. He didn’t steamroller her event to make it about himself. He didn’t steal her spotlight to “put her in her place.” Sounds like they planned it together, which is what a proposal should be in 2026.
Why didn’t he do it at the race she won?? So weird.
I’m actually glad he didn’t do it after she won gold, that really would have been thunder-stealing
Proposing after her final race means they can spend the rest of the Olympics together celebrating.
Probably because it would have been a distraction from her win. The engagement would have been covered rather than her win. I think this was well done and lovely.
Crashing could have ended her Olympic competition, maybe he wanted to cheer her up after a crash. Nice to celebrate it with your Alpine family since that was exactly what she wanted. Americans have to live in Europe for the World Cup races so you have Alpine family and your parents come to watch the Olympics.
Her downhill gold came on the race that ended Vonn’s career. After watching Vonn be airlifted he can’t be blamed for thinking today’s not the day.