Hilary Knight Girlfriend: How Brittany Bowe’s Olympic Courtship Ended in a Proposal
Brittany Bowe is the hilary knight girlfriend whose relationship with the U. S. Olympian began in Beijing in 2022 and culminated in an engagement at the Olympics four years later — a relationship shaped by pandemic-era rules, long travel schedules and shared athletic focus.
From a masked walk in Beijing to a shared home in Salt Lake City
Their courtship began amid strict Covid-19 protocols at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Their first date was a masked, socially distanced walk through the Olympic Village; dinners that followed were sometimes separated by plexiglass. Bowe says the isolation of the bubble created space for them to talk and get to know one another deeply, without the usual distractions of family, friends or fans.
Though they had crossed paths at Team USA events before, they didn’t start dating until Beijing. They kept the relationship alive across different states and competing schedules, finding time to visit each other despite Hilary Knight’s PWHL commitments and Bowe’s speed-skating circuit. Two years after they began dating, the couple bought a home together in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Hilary Knight Girlfriend: The proposal and the ring
Ahead of the 2026 Milan Olympic Games, Knight picked out a thin band with inlaid diamonds for the proposal. Bowe says she had not grown up imagining a wedding or engagement ring and that, when the couple discussed becoming engaged, she was clear that Knight should propose first. Bowe preferred something minimal and rarely wears jewelry; the thin, inlaid band fit that preference.
Bowe recalls joking about the lack of a ring just two days before the proposal. The couple’s families were present for the games, which Bowe described as very special and, for a time, nearly spoiled the surprise.
How two professional athletes made it work
Bowe emphasizes that romance between two elite athletes has its rhythms and strains. She described both of them as occasionally “tunnel visioned” but said that shared focus on high-level sport also fostered understanding. They arranged visits whenever they could, carving out time amid the Olympic cycle, the professional women’s hockey league schedule and World Cup competitions.
Their shared Salt Lake City home, bought two years into their relationship, was a concrete sign of the decision to build a life together despite the travel and pressure of their sports. Bowe framed their partnership as a constant through changing seasons of competition.
The engagement, tied to an Olympic trip where both families were present and prepared around the 2026 Milan Olympic Games, marked a new chapter for the couple. They have moved from athletes who crossed paths at Team USA gatherings to partners living together and planning a future while remaining active in their respective sports.
Next on the schedule for both remains the rhythm of their athletic careers: Olympic cycles, professional league seasons and international competitions that have defined how they first connected and how they continue to plan their lives together.
