Olympic Figure Skater Michelle Kwan Is Engaged

"It was a simple decision and it made sense, that's what's so exciting to me," she says of the proposal

By Bruna Nessif Sep 12, 2012 2:12 AMTags
Michelle KwanJason Kempin/Getty Images

Michelle Kwan's inner-self is probably doing back-to-back triple axels right now.

The 32-year-old Olympic figure skater got engaged to boyfriend Clay Pell, whom she met in April 2011, earlier this month, E! News confirms.

"It was a simple decision and it made sense, that's what's so exciting to me," Kwan told People, who first reported the story, of the proposal. "We are working together as a team, like in [pair skating]." 

Pell, a director for strategic planning on the National Security staff at the White House, added, "It was amazing from the very beginning how in sync our way of thinking is, our basic values and our sense of priorities. We just both got each other." 

The 30-year-old JAG and Lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard admitted to being nervous about proposing, but not for reasons you might assume. "I was nervous about wanting to do it right, but I wasn't nervous about what the answer would be."

So how did it happen?

They were at Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island, and Kwan explains, "It was hot and we were going to go into the water to cool ourselves off a little bit. I wasn't anticipating going swimming. I said, 'I don't feel comfortable because I don't have my bathing suit on.' He's like, 'No, come on in,' so I said, 'Okay.' "

He got down on one knee while in the water? Skills.