US speedskater Brittany Bowe says goodbye to the Olympics with fiancée Hilary Knight in the stands

MILAN — Brittany Bowe took one final lap at an Olympic speedskating rink Friday, with U.S. Speedskating coach Ryan Shimabukuro by her side and fiancée Hilary Knight, the captain of the Americans' gold winners in women's hockey, in the stands.

Bowe had just finished fourth for the third time in three events at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, this time in the 1,500 meters. The moment, though, was about more than that. It was about a career that spanned four Olympics and a pair of bronze medals — from the 1,000 in 2022 and team pursuit in 2018 — along with four world titles a world record in the 1,000 set in 2019 that still stands.

She came to Milan knowing this was going to be her last go-round.

“Just taking a moment to share the moment with each other,” Bowe, who turns 38 on Tuesday, said about the post-race time with Shimabukuro. “I know when I embraced him, we both just said we love each other and he’s so proud of me and he said I always have the heart of a champion. I just told him thank you. Him and his coaching and his leadership has shaped me into the woman I am today. We just kept sharing words of gratitude and took a lap together to just soak in the moment. Really, really special.”

Shimabukuro was moved by the moment, too.

“Knowing this was the final race of Brittany’s career, I started preparing myself last night for the emotional reaction I knew I’d have to face after she crossed the finish line. Brittany has been the heart and soul, the captain of the U.S. Long Track Team, for so many years that her legacy will live on for generations to come. The example & expectations she set for herself both on and off the ice is an attribute that every young skater should aspire to,” he wrote in a text to The Associated Press. “Brittany was an extremely fierce competitor in every event she raced, earning the respect of her competitors worldwide."

Valerie Maltais, the Canadian who took the bronze in the 1,500, said she'll miss having Bowe around.

“She’s had an amazing career,” Maltais said. “The (results) are one thing. It’s what you leave in the sport, also.”

Bowe started in inline skating, and played college basketball at Florida Atlantic, before shifting to the ice in 2010 with the hope of getting to an Olympics.

“Speedskating has shaped me into the person I am, so it’s so sad (to retire), but it’s also so great that I’m able to finish on my own terms,” Bowe said, “because a lot of athletes don’t have that opportunity.”

Wrote Shimabukuro: "She will be truly missed by all in the speedskating community but I’m so excited for her & what’s next to come in her life.”

And what does come next?

Bowe got certified in hypnotherapy last year and wants to work in “the mindset coaching world and really helping others achieve whatever they want to.”

Knight and her family were on hand Friday, a day after Bowe attended the 2-1 victory for the U.S. over Canada in the women's hockey final. The United States trailed 1-0 when Knight tied it late in regulation, before the winning goal arrived in overtime.

And a day before that, Knight proposed to Bowe.

Their relationship began during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

“I did not know it was coming here. We had spoke about it, obviously. But I did not think it would be happening here,” Bowe said. “I know how focused Hilary is with hockey, being the leader of that team. And she’s completely involved with her team. So for her to take a moment for me, and for us, and to propose here to kind of close that loop of what was started four years ago was really, really special.”

At the U.S. Olympic trials for speedskating last month, Bowe said she wasn't sure whether to go to the gold-medal hockey game the night before her final race.

Her thoughts on the matter eventually changed.

“She's a huge part of my journey and I know she has worked to get where she is and I know how much energy and joy it gives me to watch her and those girls to do what they love to do,” Bowe said. “I've kind of had it in my heart the whole time. ... I talked to my coach about it, and I talked to my mindset coach about it a couple of nights ago, and he just told me: The writing’s on the wall. You go. If you’re going to expend your energy, you’re going to expend energy there, but you’re also going to expend energy in your hotel room, wishing you were there, so you might as well just go and do it and enjoy the moment. That really sealed the deal for me.”