Nearly a decade into her competitive speed skating career, Brittany Bowe finally achieved her dream of standing on an Olympic podium at the 2022 Winter Olympics.But when you ask her about her memories of that time, she's quick to point out that it was actually falling for girlfriend Hilary Knight that stands out the most.
"That was the biggest win coming out of Beijing for sure," Bowe, 37, tells PEOPLE about meeting her partner, the U.S. women's ice hockey captain, that February.
"Hilary and I have known each other for a number of years through different Team USA events, a number of different Olympics, but that's the first time we really did have time to connect and get to know one another," Bowe says. "And it was everything other than glamorous, that's for sure! Hilary would ask, like, 'Oh, do you want to go for a walk after dinner?' And that was our first date, going to walk around the Olympic Village masked because everyone was so fearful of getting COVID."
Soon, the couple's walking dates became 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," Bowe recalls. "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."
Brittany Bowe/Instagram
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Four years later, the two share a home in Salt Lake City, and will soon be packing their bags for what may be each of their final Winter Olympics. (They'll be leaving behind the fancy handmade Italian coffee machine they recently purchased to prepare for the trip: "We've been watching hours of videos," Knight laughed to PEOPLE.)
Now, however, their focus will both be on bringing home medals as part of Team USA – Bowe as a veteran member of the U.S. speed skating squad, and Knight as the captain of the U.S. women's hockey team.
Bowe is excited for the 2026 Winter Games — particularly the return to fans in the stands, as they were still barred from attending in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Hilary Knight/Instagram
"I know both of our families are really excited to watch both of us compete," Bowe says. "My family's already got their hockey tickets, and her family's getting the speed skating tickets. So, just to have more people in the stands that love you, support you, are part of your journey — that will make it really special."
A Florida native who first took up inline skating after a local coach noticed her gliding down the rink at a friend's birthday party, Bowe didn't seriously consider ice skating until she found herself watching old friends from her inline days compete for Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
"My path to the Olympics is definitely not linear," says the former Florida Atlantic University point guard, who set aside her plans to make it to the WNBA after becoming infatuated with ice skating during those 2010 Winter Games.
By the next Winter Games in Sochi, in 2014, Bowe was a member of Team USA. By the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, she took home a bronze medal in Team Pursuit as part of the U.S. women's squad. And in 2022, as sparks flew with Knight, she took home her first individual bronze in the women's 1000-meter race.
Despite not being "an adrenaline junkie at all" when she's off the ice, "I love pushing myself to the limit" in competition, Bowe says. She adds that winning is "an addiction" that gives her "no better feeling in the world."
And when the 2026 Winter Olympics come to a close, regardless of the outcome, her lifelong dream of having an Olympic career will have been accomplished.
"More than anything, [I'm excited about] just being able to compete and represent my country," Bowe says. "I can't think of a better way to end my career than with the flag on me and my family in the stands."
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come topeople.comto check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan-Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
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