The Tamesis
Olympic gold medal skier Breezy Johnson won platinum at the end of the 2026 Milano Cortina super-G: an engagement ring from her partner Connor Watkins. “Now I can’t say, ‘Was my favorite week of my life when I got engaged or when I won the Olympics?'” joked Breezy Johnson. Fashion A few hours after the engagement. “We just combined two of our greatest moments.”
Breezy and Connor first connected through Bumble two and a half years ago in Utah. “I would say our schedule is perfect for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce,” laughed Breezy, who calls herself Swift. At the time, the skiers lived in Park City and the construction project manager lived in Salt Lake City. Connor mentioned his love for singer Noah Kahane in his profile, and Breeze opened the post by sharing that she just saw him perform at a private event. “I think, Well, that’s cool,” Connor said. When the two went on their first date at a brunch spot, Connor had no idea he was about to meet an Olympic athlete. He remembers, “We started talking about me, and when I turned to her, I was like, ‘So what do you do?'” She said nonchalantly that she knew how to ski. “People get a little frustrated when you say, ‘Oh, I’m an Olympic skier.’ So I guess I just started small,” Breezy explained. Connor added: “I just told myself to stay calm. “
A few weeks after the two started seeing each other, Breeze had to leave for three weeks of training. “I felt like that was my first idea that it would work,” she shared. “I’m not always the most organized person and he’s happy to text me and check in with me. It puts my mind at ease. Like, my room is a mess right now and he’s very organized. He definitely complements me in a lot of ways.”
The couple’s relationship continued to grow as they went through some difficult times together, including Breezy being suspended for 14 months in 2023. “It was early in our dating days and there was a lot to process,” the skier said. “I feel like if we can get through this, we can get through a lot of it.”
“There’s a silver lining to this,” Connor added. “It really allows us to come together and creates a wonderful space for us.”
In April 2024, Breezy and Connor officially moved in together in Salt Lake City, where they now live with their two cats, Wolfie and Apricot. The move coincides with the release of Taylor Swift’s song “The Alchemy,” which is especially meaningful for the pair. The song has many sports allusions (probably inspired by Kelce) and metaphors about what the real prize is – a gold trophy, or the people in the stands. “As an athlete, it’s really cool to win, but the coolest part is being able to share it with the people you love,” Breezy said. “When you have someone who means a lot to you and you actually get a chance to spot them in the stands and run to them — that’s really special.” Connor kept the song’s lyrics in mind as he planned to propose to Breeze. In a custom wooden box, he wrote, “Honestly, who are we to fight alchemy.” (They both added that they wouldn’t mind if Taylor Swift wanted to show up at their wedding.)
Photo: Sierra Ryder/U.S. Ski Team
