US skier Breezy Johnson gets engaged at Winter Olympics after missing out on second gold medal

Olympic downhill champion Breezy Johnson may not have secured a medal in Thursday's women's super-G, but she departed Tofane with an even more precious prize: an engagement ring.

Her long-term boyfriend, Connor Watkins, chose a romantic spot near the finish line to propose.

Surrounded by members of the US Ski Team, Johnson joyfully accepted, and the couple shared a heartfelt embrace.

The 30-year-old proudly showcased her new jewellery – a striking blue sapphire encircled by white sapphires, set in white gold.

She now has an engagement ring to go with the Olympic title that she won on Sunday when she became the first American at this year’s Games to claim gold.

Johnson sealed her victory in the same event that saw Lindsey Vonn suffer a broken leg after a horror crash.

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Johnson’s happy moment on Thursday occurred roughly an hour after her podium aspirations in the super-G were dashed by a crash.

Her right pole clipped a gate high on the course, sending her tumbling into the catch fence. Fortunately, she quickly got to her feet, completely unharmed.

The event was eventually won by home favourite Federica Brignone. The 35-year-old is competing in her third Olympics and finally got on the top step of the podium less than a year on from a serious leg break which required two surgeries.

Brignone was the sixth skier to start and flung herself down the course, with her technical skills coming to the fore on a daredevil run.

“I told myself that it was a ‘make it or break it’, but I never thought I would win,” she said. “Something special, I would never have imagined it in life.

“I was expecting my skiing to be really confident and try to make every turn clean and be, not perfect, but to let my skis go and be smooth through the terrain.”