Hilary Knight and Brittany Bowe play in Olympic Couples Games
Olympians on the ice and partners off the ice, Hilary Knight (ice hockey) and Brittany Bowe (speed skating) play a fun couples game on USA TODAY.
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milan — U.S. women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight is aiming for gold as the U.S. team plays against Canada on Thursday, but that’s not the only glamor going on in Milan.
Knight proposed to American speed skater Brittany Bowe on Wednesday, February 18, in time for both athletes to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. This marks a first anniversary moment for the couple, who first met at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
“The Olympics brought us together. These Olympics made us forever,” Knight captioned his Instagram proposal video.
Knight and Bowe first connected at the Beijing Games amid strict COVID-19 protocols. The two often took walks fully masked, which was cute but not necessarily romantic, Knight recalled. Bowe won bronze in the 1,000 meters in Beijing, but told People that her time with Knight was “the biggest victory I had in Beijing.”
“[It was]a very unique way to meet someone, but it was also kind of cool because it felt like we were in this bubble,” Bowe said. “There were no outside distractions, and we really had a lot of time just to get to know each other.”
power couple: Love in the air! Meet the Winter Olympic Power Couple in Milan-Cortina
Knight and Bowe began dating in December 2022. Their relationship helped Knight find the strength to come out publicly a year later, in 2023. Knight said they understand each other on different levels as two elite athletes with long careers. Milan-Cortina will be Knight’s fifth tournament and Bowe’s fourth.
“We’re having normal human-to-human conversations, and then Olympic athletes are having conversations about the tactical and technical parts of their training,” Knight said at the USOPC Media Summit in October. “(Bowes) has been very intentional and thoughtful in his preparation and I hope that reflects well on me. But when you put two different sports side by side and see how they’re similar and how they’re different, it’s really incredible.”
There’s another ‘great’ perk to dating a fellow athlete – Watch sports all day long. “We watch every sport 24/7, whether it’s the playoffs or the regular season,” Knight joked.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be the last Games for Knight and Bowe. Bowe finished fourth in both the women’s 1,000 meters and women’s team pursuit, missing out on the podium. But Bowe has another chance to medal in Friday’s women’s 1500 meters. This distance is the distance for which she previously held the world record.
“I gave it my all and gave it my all,” Bowe said after the 1,000-meter race. “Obviously, it’s tough to finish in fourth place, which is probably the most difficult place at the Olympics. At the same time, it’s a real honor to be able to be there and keep my name among that elite group.”
Meanwhile, Knight will lead Team USA in Thursday’s gold medal game against Canada. Knight is one point and one goal away from setting the all-time record in U.S. Olympic hockey history.
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