rundown
Olympian Breezy Johnson got engaged to boyfriend Connor Watkins on the slopes in Italy. Watkins popped the question after her run in the women’s super-G event. She introduced him to the world on Instagram.
On Thursday, Olympic gold medalist Breezy Johnson received a very public engagement from her boyfriend Connor Watkins. The skiing star had just finished the women’s super-G at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics when she met Watkins at the finish line.
The emotional moment was witnessed by the audience and cameras as Johnson got down on one knee and presented him with a silver ring set with a blue stone. He also provided a piece of wood etched with a quote from Taylor Swift’s song “The Alchemy.” It read, “Honestly, who are we to fight against alchemy?”
“Even though you’ve worked so hard and accomplished so much, you still find time to love me and make me feel special. And most importantly, you help me love myself,” Watkins said during his proposal, according to a video posted by Today. “The only way I want to spend the rest of my life is by your side. I love you, Breezy. Will you marry me?”
Johnson shared the special moment on Instagram with a photo on a merry-go-round, writing in the caption, “Everyone…meet Connor! My ex-boyfriend! and now fiancé!!! Thank you to everyone who made this moment possible. It was everything I ever dreamed of. Just like Connor!”
The moment was so special that Taylor Swift herself saw it and congratulated the couple in the comments.
It seems like everyone wants to meet Connor Watkins. Here’s what we know about him so far.
Who is Connor Watkins?
Breezy Johnson’s fiance is a very private person. According to The Athletic, he works in construction and is based in Salt Lake City. He and Johnson met on Bumble, but Watkins claimed he didn’t know who she was on their first date. When he found out, he was very impressed and a little scared.
He is said to have been planning the proposal for more than a year, and told NBC News it was “far beyond anything we could have imagined.”
He had a backup plan in case things didn’t work out. In the end, Johnson suffered a minor crash and was unable to finish the race, but that didn’t dampen their celebration.
“Every time she goes down the hill,” Watkins told Today, “I get really nervous.”
“I wanted her to be well, but I just wanted her to be safe,” he said. “After the accident, she stood up and was fine, which was a sign of relief. And my heart started beating again, because I knew that I was about to get down on my knees and propose.”
He added: “Luckily, she was awake and feeling well, so we were able to continue with Plan A.”
After celebrating in Cortina, the couple said they would like to enjoy Livigno together.
What does Johnson say about Watkins?
Prior to today’s proposal, Mr. Johnson had little discussion of Mr. Watkins in public. She told Team USA in December 2022 that she wanted to talk about her sport instead.
“I’m not hiding or worrying about what people will ask me at the finish about my boyfriend or anything, but I wanted to get back to focusing on skiing, so I put it out there,” Johnson said. “I hope people judge my work ethic and results, not the presentation.”
But she did comment on how newly engaged she felt after the race.
“When you make a mistake like that in ski racing, you feel stupid and you want to talk about it with your friends and family. And yeah, I was really excited to see him, and everything else is crazy,” Johnson told Today.
What else did Johnson say about love?
The athlete has talked a little about his personal life here and there, but after competing in the Olympics, he told NBC News, “There’s nothing like doing well[in competition]and having someone to share it with.”
Back in November 2022, Johnson wrote in an Instagram post that she was bisexual. “I wanted to be open about who I am before this season started,” she wrote. “To those who feel a little different and want to see people like them at the top, we’re here to represent that you can be out there, be normal, and do whatever you want.”
She explained to Team USA why she shared the news publicly. “I wanted to share that because when I was growing up, there were no people like me, and the world of straight white ski racing is big. I just wanted to show that you can be different and still be good,” she said.
