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American speed skater Brittany Bowe will not leave the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with a medal, but she will return home with a new ring.
Team USA women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight proposed to Bowe at the 2026 Winter Games. The two first met while competing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Knight proposed on the eve of the women’s hockey gold medal clash between the United States and Canada.
Knight shared the moment on social media, captioning a video of the two athletes in matching Team USA gear: “The Olympics brought us together. This one made us forever.”
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Hilary Knight poses for a photo during the US Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the Milan 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Javits Center on October 29, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)
Bowe walked away with two bronze medals and Knight, a four-time Olympic medalist, will leave with a fifth – gold or silver – after Thursday’s rematch with Canada.
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Knight reflected on the connection to Bowe during the 2022 Games in Beijing under COVID-19 protocols.
“Having that human connection, even going outside at a distance, that was really cool,” Knight told Olympics.com last week.
Brittany Bowe of the United States reacts after skating in the Women’s Team Pursuit Final B during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)
Bowe said she’s gotten to know another side of Knight beyond her superstar persona.
“Knowing her as a hockey player, it’s like this big, strong, powerful woman,” Bowe said. “But then, when we got to know each other, she was soft, genuine, kind, almost shy. That really piqued my interest.”
Brittany Bowe of the United States competes in the women’s 1500 meters during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating at the Calgary Olympic Oval November 22, 2025 in Calgary, Alberta. (Leah Hennel-International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
Romance has been part of the story at this year’s games, especially for Valentine’s Day. Last week, American skier Breezy proposed to Johnson’s girlfriend at the end of her super-G race in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Johnson captured her first career Olympic gold medal in women’s alpine skiing.
