All About Brittany Bowe and Hilary Knight’s Relationship (and Their Olympics Engagement!)

need to know

• Brittany Bowe and Hilary Knight’s romance began at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

• The speed skater and ice hockey player got engaged at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan

• Bao said being high-level athletes helps them “understand each other”

Brittany Bowe and Hilary Knight’s love story comes to a successful conclusion at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan.

The speed skater and the U.S. women’s hockey team captain began dating after meeting at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The athletic duo announced their engagement in a joint Instagram post on February 18, writing that this Winter Olympics, where they both compete in their respective sports, was something they would “forever.”

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Although the two come from two different sporting worlds, they believe the Olympics brought them together.

“She knew nothing about speed skating,” Bowe, a two-time bronze medalist, told Team USA in June 2025 of their relationship. “She’s still learning. But that’s what’s special about the Olympics – bringing athletes together who wouldn’t otherwise interact.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Olympians Brittany Bowe and Hilary Knight’s relationship.

Their first date was at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Although Bowe and Knight have known each other for years through Team USA competitions, they didn’t officially meet until the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, as the speed skater told PEOPLE in January 2026.

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“This is the first time we’ve really had time to connect and get to know each other,” Bao said. “It was everything but charming, for sure! Hillary would ask, ‘Oh, do you want to go for a walk after dinner?’ It was our first date, walking in the Olympic Village with masks on because everyone was so scared of getting COVID.”

She went on to say it was a unique way to get to know someone, recalling that there were “no outside distractions” in the Olympic “bubble,” giving them more time to get to know each other.

Looking back on the 2022 Olympics, Bao told People magazine that meeting her co-stars was “the biggest victory coming out of Beijing.”

Four years later, the two now live together in Salt Lake City.

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Being top athletes helps them understand each other

In a June 2025 interview with NBC, Knight recounted how she and Bowe bonded over being high-level athletes.

“I have the freedom to be who I want to be. And need to be,” the hockey player said. “Being a top athlete, you really know what that person might need, whether it’s support or space. I think both of us being at a high level for a long time helps us understand each other.”

They are not competitive with each other

In November 2025, Bowe told NBC Boston that she and Knight trained side by side and tried to teach each other their skills.

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The speed skater said that while they are both “very competitive,” they don’t necessarily “attack each other that way” — unless it’s pickleball.

“But I personally prefer to be on her team rather than against her,” Bao said. “I want to win together. She’s my teammate.”

They supported each other through the highs and lows of their careers

In a conversation with Team USA, Bowe said “it meant a lot” when Knight texted her after the game and said she was “proud” of her. She also recalled how her partner’s support gave her “strength” when she flew to the Netherlands during a difficult part of her speed skater season.

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“Leaving a hockey game — whether it’s early or just finished — taking a flight with multiple connections and getting there an hour before the game. Seeing her in the stands with a hug, that gave me strength,” she said.

They got engaged at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan

Bowe and Knight got engaged at the Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan on February 18 and announced the news in a joint Instagram post.

“The Olympics brought us together. This Olympics brings us together forever,” the caption read.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit people.com for ongoing coverage before, during and after the Games. Watch the Milan-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games on NBC and Peacock starting February 6.

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Read the original article on People