Is Team USA Hockey Star Hilary Knight in a Relationship? Her Romance With Brittany Bowe
Hilary Knight will be hitting the ice to play for the gold medal in women’s hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, February 19. This is her fifth and final time competing at the Olympics, having previously won a gold medal in 2018 and silver medals in 2010, 2014, and 2022.
But the 2026 Olympics have been more than a professional accomplishment for Knight. She had a major moment in her personal life, as well, when she proposed to girlfriend Brittany Bowe amid the chaos of competition.
The couple shared a video of the proposal on Instagram captioned, “Olympics brought us together. This one made us forever.” In the clip, Knight got down on one knee, put a ring on Bowe’s finger, and then lifted her up as she showed off the sparkler.
Scroll down to learn more about Knight’s relationship.
Who is Brittany Bowe?
Like Knight, Bowe is an Olympic athlete. She competes for Team USA in speed skating, although she previously competed in inline skating and played basketball before making the switch.
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After playing four seasons of basketball for Florida Atlantic University, Bowe took up speed skating in 2010 and has emerged as one of the top female competitors in the sport. In 2014, she made her Olympic debut, followed by returns in 2018 and 2022. She took home a bronze medal in team pursuit in 2018 and another bronze medal in the 1000m at the 2022 Games.
Although she did not medal in the 2026 Games (which she has said will be her last), she will be leaving Milan Cortina with a fiancée!
How did Hilary Knight and Brittany Bowe meet?
As USA Olympians, Knight and Bowe have been running in the same circles for years, but it wasn’t until the 2022 Olympics in Beijing that they connected romantically.
“That’s the first time we really did have time to connect and get to know one another,” Bowe told People. And it was everything other than glamorous, that’s for sure!” The ladies spent time walking around the Olympic village wearing masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then eventually started having dinner dates.
“[It was] a very unique way to meet someone, but it was also kind of cool because we felt like we were in this bubble,” she added. “We didn’t have the family, the friends, no outside distractions. And we really had a lot of time just to get to know each other.”
The relationship flourished after the Games, and in 2024, Bowe and Knight bought a home in Salt Lake City together.
When did Hilary Knight come out?
“I would say I’m part of the queer community, yeah. Because it’s overarching,” Knight told the New York Times in January 2023.
She came out in 2022 and credited her relationship with Bowe with giving her the strength to be open about her sexuality. “It’s monumental I think in the women’s sports space and obviously in the Olympics space as well, so hopefully our story can have a small impact on someone in a positive way, and that’s just such a huge win,” Knight told NBC Olympics.
The hockey star also added, “I’m just able to be freely who I want to be. And need to be.”
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