Four days after capturing her first Olympic gold medal in the downhill, Johnson was greeted with another piece of jewelry at the finish line following her super-G run in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Thursday.
Although her race ended in a crash that forced her to walk to the base, she was soon met by her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, who dropped to one knee in front of the crowd and proposed. An emotional Johnson quickly accepted.
Watkins was surrounded by skiers from several other countries as he presented a silver ring featuring a blue gemstone at its center. The couple embraced moments later as cheers erupted from her U.S. teammates and officials nearby.
In a personal touch, Watkins also gifted Johnson a piece of wood engraved with a Taylor Swift lyric that read, “Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy,” a line from Swift’s song “The Alchemy.”
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It seemed Johnson had a feeling Watkins might propose, but she admitted it was “a lot more crazy” once everything unfolded after her final Olympic race.
“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.”
While Johnson had hoped for a stronger finish Thursday before the proposal, she still secured a historic victory just days earlier. Her downhill gold placed her in rare company among American skiers, joining only Lindsey Vonn, who accomplished the feat in 2010.
The couple planned to celebrate with friends and family Thursday, with Johnson adding, “There’s nothing better than doing well and having somebody to share it with.”
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