"He didn’t have enough time, and he was nervous. It was so cute," Kotsar said after the proposal
AP Photo/Abbie Parr
NEED TO KNOW
- Ukrainian freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar got engaged after qualifying for the women’s big air final in Livigno, Italy on Valentine’s Day
- Kotsar said it was “so cute” that her now-fiancé Bohdan Fashtryha was “so nervous” to pop the question after her race
- Kotsar said she’s “still excited and can’t understand what happened tonight, because it’s two really huge things for me”
Love is in the air at the Winter Olympics!
Ukrainian freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar had a Valentine's Day surprise waiting for her at the finish line after she qualified for the big air final in Livigno, Italy on Saturday, Feb. 14, when her now-fiancé Bohdan Fashtryha popped the question in front of her friends, family and fans.
Kotsar, 25, with her skis still on, said "yes" as Fashtryha got down on one knee at Livigno Snow Park, just days after American gold medalist Breezy Johnson said "yes" to her now-fiancé Connor Watkins at the Olympic finish line in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
AP Photo/Abbie Parr
After the romantic Valentine's Day proposal, Kotsar told reporters her fiancé was "so nervous" during the big moment. “He said in Ukrainian if I want to marry him, nothing else. He didn’t have enough time, and he was nervous. It was so cute."
Kotsar said she's "still excited and can't understand what happened tonight, because it's two really huge things for me," referring to her engagement and qualifying for the Olympic final.
“Usually I have some feelings that something great will happen," she continued. "Today I had the feeling, but I thought it was about [making the] finals."
Speaking about her qualifying run, Kotsar revealed that she "had a bad feeling" and "felt sick" the day before, but on the day of the race, her "biggest goal was to compete and make clean runs."
"Now, I am full of energy," she said after her big day, adding that she "dreamed about" making the final. "I cannot say that I expected it, because when I expect finals, usually it's so sad to not compete in finals. So I try to not expect this, and I didn't expect this tonight.”
Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty
Kotsar had her parents in the stands for her qualifier, and told reporters it was "the first time ever they saw my jumps in real life," explaining that "usually" her mom gets "too nervous" to watch.
"She just waits for my call after competition, when I say, 'everything is okay, I didn't crash, feeling okay.' "
After the run, Kotsar shared a handful of photos of her parents watching her compete and of their emotional embrace after she qualified.
The women's big air final will take place on Feb. 16 at the Livigno Snow Park.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to 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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