Winter Olympics 2026: Breezy Johnson hits back at marriage proposal critics - 'Let’s not yuck other people’s yum'
Published 18/02/2026 at 18:46 GMT
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Breezy Johnson has hit back at the "armchair quarterbacks" who criticised her boyfriend's decision to propose at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, popped the question after Johnson had competed in the super-G. Johnson won gold in the downhill earlier during the Games and has been one of the stars of the Olympics.
Watch: Emotional scenes as Johnson receives gold medal after 'risking it all'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Breezy Johnson has hit back at the "armchair quarterbacks" who criticised her boyfriend's decision to propose to her at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The skiing sensation's partner Connor Watkins asked Johnson to marry her at the finish line of the super-G last Thursday, presenting her with a ring and a plaque bearing a quote from Taylor Swift’s song "The Alchemy".
Johnson said yes - to the absolute delight of the crowd in northern Italy - but Watkins has since been criticised by some fans claiming that his declaration of love took away from the 30-year-old's moment in the sun.
However, Johnson has now responded to the critics, insisting that the proposal brought the two loves of her life together.
"I think there were a lot of armchair quarterbacks out there who were like ‘Oh my gosh, he is stealing her moment’," Johnson said during an interview with USA TODAY.
"There were people who seemed to think that he did it while I was standing on the medal stand, and I was like ‘Hey, let’s not yuck other people’s yum'.
"This is what I wanted, he wasn’t stealing anything. That moment had happened days ago with the gold medal and, for me, it was a really cool moment, for me, to bring the two loves of my life together and have that special moment.
"Just because it is not what you want, or just because it is not the outfit you would want to wear or whatever, does not mean you have to make a comment about it. That was kind of my response on that."
Johnson also received a very special seal of approval from pop sensation Swift, who responded with another reference to "The Alchemy" in a comment on one of Johnson’s social media posts.
"Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me. CONGRATULATIONS!!!" she commented.
Johnson has had one of the most action-packed experiences of any athlete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
She got her Games off to a perfect start, storming to victory in the women's downhill on the opening weekend of the Games.
Johnson also made headlines after her gold medal broke as she jumped around and celebrated in the wake of her victory,
Johnson also competed in the debut combined event alongside skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin.
She may have missed out on a medal in the super-G, but Watkins ensured Johnson still left the slope with something precious.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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