When she made it safely down the course after a crash in the women's super-G event, Breezy Johnson was met by her family, friends, and Connor Watkins, her then-boyfriend of over two years.
Johnson had already had an eventful Olympics: she won gold in the women's downhill on Sunday, Feb. 8, then finished fourth in the women's team combined event on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
There was more bling yet to come.
Johnson didn't keep it a secret that she hoped to get married at the Olympic Games, so she told the media afterwards, "I had an inkling" that Watkins might be planning to pop the question.
At my first Games, there was talk that one of my teammates was going get engaged at the Olympics, and it stuck in my mind.
It felt fitting to combine two of my loves, and it’s a special place at the Olympics. There's a lot of mystique around it. Also, you get free photography.
Here is everything you need to know about the fiancé, the engagement, the ring and how Taylor Swift fits into the whole thing.
Who is Breezy Johnson's fiancé?
According to his LinkedIn, Watkins "has spent 11 years in the construction industry in both preconstruction and operations. He received a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance Concentration) from the Georgia Institute of Technology in May of 2013."
NPR reports that Watkins was originally intimidated by Johnson's status as an elite Alpine skier. "I was like, 'I'm out-kicking my coverage here,'" he said.
The two met on Bumble in 2023 and Watkins shared that he started planning the proposal about a year ago.
Where are Breezy Johnson and Connor Watkins from?
Johnson was born and grew up in Jackson Hole, WY, then moved to Utah at 13 years old to attend Rowmark Ski Academy. Watkins is originally from Georgia. They both currently live in Salt Lake City, and moved in together in April 2024.
What type of engagement ring did Breezy Johnson receive?
Watkins told the media that the gem is a blue sapphire set in a white gold band with an asymmetrical diamond halo.
What was written inside the engagement ring box that Connor Watkins gave Breezy Johnson?
Watkins included an engraved piece of wood inside the ring box. The song lyric, "Who are we to fight the alchemy?" is from the Taylor Swift song, "The Alchemy."
Johnson said, “I feel like 'The Alchemy' is a song about a sports person and a poet that are in love, and I feel like he's the poet and I'm the sports person. It's so fitting."
While Swift almost never confirms who, exactly, is the inspiration for her songs, it can be safely assumed that the lyric, "Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me" is about her fiancé, Travis Kelce.
However, some Swift-ologists theorize that the actual subject of the song, the "you" she's singing to, are her devoted fans. When she sings "Cause the sign on your heart/ Said it's still reserved for me/ Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?" she may be referring to the Swifties that turned out in record numbers for the "Eras Tour" after her five-year break from touring.
In any case, Johnson and Watkins have an emotional attachment to the song. “We always hear the song and we smile and think about each other," she said. "It came out right around the time that we moved in together. It’s really special to us.”
What did Taylor Swift have to say about Breezy Johnson's engagement?
Taylor Swift, a noted Olympic fan who is often seen in Team USA gear, commented on Johnson's Instagram announcement of the happy news.
"'Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me' CONGRATULATIONS!!!" the 14-time Grammy-winner said.
Johnson replied to her comment, inviting Swift to join her on the slopes and requesting to sample Swift's famous homemade sourdough bread.
"I don't know what's better Olympic gold or this comment. Sourdough engagement gift please??? Would love to teach you to ski," Johnson wrote.
What else did Breezy Johnson and Connor Watkins say about their engagement?
The happy couple may have bonded over their ability to generate an excellent turn of phrase.
Johnson's best quotes:
“His words were so beautiful, and I echoed so much of what he said, and so I was just crying and thinking about how much I love him."
“Who doesn't want to leave with a couple of pieces of metal?"
“I think most people want to peak at the Olympics. I just extra peaked.”
After winning downhill gold but a few days before the engagement, Johnson made a prescient remark.
“I was telling my mom a week ago, ‘You go to your first Olympic Games to have been to the Olympic Games. You go to your second Olympic Games to win a medal, and you go to your third Games to win the whole damn thing'. It’s really special."
Watkins' best quotes:
“I've been planning this for about a year. Between getting the ring, which I had custom-made, getting the Airbnb, her family sorted—it was actually a little bit of a challenge, but I had some awesome people helping me, getting me to the right places, making sure that she was in the right place.”
“There was a plan B just in case there needed to be because you never know how the day's going to work out. Sometimes the mountains are unforgiving. I was just happy to see her get up, and Megan (a consultant for U.S. Ski and Snowboard) did a little work to make sure that she was still going to be receptive to a proposal at that time, so we went ahead with plan A.”