{"688373":{"#nid":"688373","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Yellow Jacket Alumnus Pulls off Gold Medal Proposal  ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EIt was already a memorable trip to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics for skier Breezy Johnson, who captured a gold medal in the Alpine Skiing Women\u2019s Downhill, but there was one more celebration to come days later. After the\u0026nbsp;super-G\u0026nbsp;race on Feb. 12, Johnson\u2019s boyfriend, Connor Watkins, a Georgia Tech alumnus, dropped to one knee in the finish area of the course and proposed to the Olympic gold medalist.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EWatkins, a business administration graduate, says that his experience as a Tech student \u2014 learning to listen carefully and how to find creative solutions \u2014 helped him plan his proposal. When Johnson mentioned that she wanted an Olympic proposal, Watkins listened and took note. From there, he says it took \u201ca village and some proper planning\u201d with Team USA and NBC to make the moment happen.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EAs to the timing of the proposal, Watkins knew he wanted to wait until Johnson\u2019s competitions had wrapped up to ensure the focus stayed on the sport.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019m just so proud of Breezy and what she\u2019s accomplished with her downhill gold medal,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EIn the days since, the couple has been showered with support from friends, family, teammates, and social media. Even Taylor Swift commented on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DUqdckZjDd1\/?utm_source=ig_embed\u0026amp;ig_rid=865a47ae-6296-470f-8c1a-94db31c9b961\u0022\u003EJohnson\u2019s Instagram post\u003C\/a\u003E with a congratulatory message in response to the lyrics of the pop star\u2019s song \u201cThe Alchemy\u201d being printed on the ring box Watkins presented to Johnson.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EWith Johnson done competing, the newly engaged couple has been splitting time between Cortina, Livigno, and Milan, Italy, to watch other Olympic events. After the Games are over, they\u2019ll have downtime as Johnson rests before the FIS Ski World Cup Season. When they have time in their schedule, Watkins looks forward to bringing Johnson to Tech and getting her a ride in the Ramblin\u2019 Wreck.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Gold medalist Breezy Johnson and Georgia Tech graduate Connor Watkins are celebrating Johnson\u2019s achievements on the slopes and their recent engagement. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGold medalist Breezy Johnson and Georgia Tech graduate Connor Watkins\u0026nbsp;are celebrating Johnson\u2019s achievements on the slopes and their recent engagement.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Gold medalist Breezy Johnson and Georgia Tech graduate Connor Watkins are celebrating Johnson\u2019s achievements on the slopes and their recent engagement. "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-02-18 19:49:50","changed_gmt":"2026-02-18 19:54:31","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679358":{"id":"679358","type":"image","title":"Connor Watkins and Breezy Johnson","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech alumnus Connor Watkins and Team USA gold medalist Breezy Johnson after getting engaged at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Submitted photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1771444245","gmt_created":"2026-02-18 19:50:45","changed":"1771444245","gmt_changed":"2026-02-18 19:50:45","alt":"Connor Watkins and Breezy Johnson","file":{"fid":"263508","name":"IMG_2658.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/18\/IMG_2658.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/18\/IMG_2658.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":319099,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/18\/IMG_2658.jpeg?itok=FGsEsEjn"}}},"media_ids":["679358"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"177015","name":"winter olympics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013\u0026nbsp;Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}