Olympic downhill champion Breezy Johnson failed to add to her medal collection in the women's super-G on Thursday, but she left the Tofane course with something precious: an engagement ring. Johnson, who won gold in the downhill on Sunday, crashed out of the super-G after clipping a gate with a pole, tumbling into the safety fence.
Despite the crash, there was consolation: her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, proposed near the finish line. Surrounded by members of the US Ski Team, Johnson said “Yes!” and the couple embraced.
Johnson said she suspected Watkins might propose, though the exact timing and location were a surprise. “I had told him that I always dreamed of getting proposed to at the Olympics, so I had an inkling,” she said. “It felt fitting to kind of combine two of my loves. And I don’t know, it’s a special place at the Olympics. I feel like there’s a lot of mystique around it. And also you get free photography.”
The couple met on a dating app. Watkins, who works in construction, said he initially had no idea who Johnson was. “I was a little taken aback. I had very little knowledge of ski racing and everything else,” he said.
Johnson said she was delighted to be leaving the Olympics with a ring and a medal. “I mean, who doesn’t want to leave with a couple pieces of metal?” she said.
