Wholesome Proposal To Ukrainian Skier Kateryna Kotsar from Boyfriend at Winter Olympics Wins Hearts of Netizens

Kateryna Kotsar, competing in the women’s freestyle skiing, has qualified for the finals on Monday in the big air event, following a top 12 finish in qualifying.

Wholesome Proposal To Ukrainian Skier Kateryna Kotsar from Boyfriend at Winter Olympics Wins Hearts of Netizens

Kateryna Kotsar (Image via AP Photo)

In Short
  • Kateryna Kotsar qualified for the women's big air final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing 11th.
  • Her boyfriend, Bohdan Fashtryha, proposed to her after her final run, and she accepted.
  • Kotsar's parents watched her compete for the first time during these Olympics, adding to the emotional significance of the day.

Standing on the world’s biggest stage, Kateryna Kotsar, completely forgot that Saturday was Valentine’s Day. She woke up like any other day. Kotsar had an Olympic qualification, feeling that positive things were coming her way, but she thought it was something to do with the big air qualification she had.

Kotsar, the 25-year-old freestyle skier, had big things lined up in her sport. After two strong runs with 79.75 and 75.75, Kotsar had enough points on the board to make the cut for the women’s big air final on Monday. In a list that had big names like Eileen Gu, Mathilde Gremaud, and Meghan Oldham, Kotsar, who’s participating in her maiden Olympics, finished 11th.

After her final run ended in a crash, Kotsar thought the day’s activities were over for her, but her boyfriend begged to differ. On the bottom of the hill, she had a surprise waiting: a proposal on the night of love from her now-fiance Bohdan Fashtryha. She still had her skis as she said “yes” to Fashtryha, onlooked by her family, friends, and fans.

After the proposal, she showed reporters her ring and told reporters that she didn’t suspect a proposal from her boyfriend, who is an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She also gushed about the moment, confessed that her boyfriend was so nervous about the time and that it was very cute.

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.

Kateryna Kotsar told reporters

Fashtryha even had a wobble while getting down on one knee. After all, as he told the media later, this was something he is been planning for the past two years.

Reflecting on the proposal and the qualification to an Olympic final, Kotsar added that she is “still excited and can’t understand what happened tonight, because it’s two really huge things for me.”

Earlier, Kotsar made headlines after the International Olympic Committee barred her from using the helmet she has used for three years since it had the words, “Be brave like the Ukrainians.” She complied with the ban and replaced the slogan with a Ukrainian flag. On Saturday, she had the words, “Freedom of Memory” on her gloves as a tribute to Vladyslav Heraskevych.

Kateryna Kotsar had her parents watching her jumps for the first time during the Olympics

The Ukrainian freestyle skier had her parents watching on the sidelines for the first time during the Winter Olympics 2026.

Kateryna Kotsar (Image via @vitleo_sport on Instagram)
Kateryna Kotsar (Image via @vitleo_sport on Instagram)

Kotsar said that her parents made the trip to Livigno for her maiden Olympics, unlike her other competitions. She said that her parents usually wait for her calls after competition as her mom gets way too nervous watching her jump off the big ramps.

She just waits for my call after competition, when I say, ‘everything is okay, I didn’t crash, feeling okay.’

Kotsar said after competition

After her run, Kotsar shared a few stories with photos of her parents watching her compete, as well as their emotional embrace and brief chat after she qualified and got engaged.

On Monday, Kotsar will be going up against the star studded list looking to medal Ukraine’s first one in Milan Cortina. Ukraine has at least one medal in the last three editions of the Winter Olympics. Oleksandr Abramenko, a fellow freestyle skier was last to win gold, in Pyeongchang in 2018. Since participating as an independent country in Lillehammer in 1994, Ukraine has bagged three golds, two silvers, and four bronze medals.

Kotsar, who is the first Ukrainian to achieve a World Cup podium in any other discipline than aerials, also took part in the women’s slopestyle where she finished 15th.

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