(NEXSTAR) - U.S. skier Breezy Johnson won the first gold medal for the United States at the Milan Cortina Games in the downhill event and announced her engagement to boyfriend Connor Watkins while in Italy. The Olympic victory and proposal were accompanied by a social media interaction with musician Taylor Swift. The events marked a career milestone for Johnson, who overcame a series of injuries to secure the Olympic title. Watkins proposed to Johnson following her victory in the marquee downhill race. Watkins had to navigate through crowds and past the Italian president to reach the skier. The couple later announced their engagement on Instagram, sharing a photo that included the ring box. The ring box featured a lyric from the Swift song "The Alchemy," which drew a response from the musician on social media. Johnson, an Olympic champion, expressed her excitement regarding the interaction. "The Swift comment. I mean, it's pretty cool to get a shout out from Swift," Johnson said. The Olympic victory follows a career defined by resilience for Johnson, who first joined the U.S. team at age 18. Though she was recognized early as a skier with significant potential, her career was frequently interrupted by injuries. "You go through tough moments in life," Johnson said of her career path. "You come to terms with how those moments change you and how they make you better even though you wish they didn't happen to you." Following the social media exchange, Johnson addressed whether she and Watkins might invite Swift and her fiancé, NFL player Travis Kelce, to their wedding. Johnson noted the high demand for the couple's presence at such events. "I think Swift and Kelce are... it's probably easier to list the weddings they are not invited to than they are," Johnson said. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published