Olympic downhill champion Breezy Johnson crashed out of the women's super-G on Thursday but ended the day with an engagement ring. The American skier, who won gold in the downhill on Sunday, clipped a gate with her pole and tumbled into the safety fence, ending her race.
Despite the crash, Johnson's boyfriend, Connor Watkins, proposed to her near the finish line. Surrounded by members of the US Ski Team, Johnson accepted, and the couple embraced. Johnson said she had suspected Watkins might propose at the Olympics, though the exact moment was a surprise.
“I had told him that I always dreamed of getting proposed to at the Olympics, so I had an inkling,” Johnson 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 leave the Olympics with both a ring and a medal. “I mean, who doesn’t want to leave with a couple pieces of metal?” she said.
