Olympian Adam Rippon announces engagement to Jussi-Pekka Kajaala

Couple has been dating since 2018

Adam Rippon announces engagement (AFP via Getty Images)

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon has announced he is engaged to his boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala.

The 31-year-old shared the news on Instagram, where he posted photos of himself and Kajaala holding glasses of champagne and wearing gold engagement bands.

In the caption, the athlete revealed that he and Kajaala, who he refers to as “JP,” were separated for most of 2020 because of the pandemic so he “jumped at” the chance to be able to visit him in his home country Finland in November.

During the two-month visit - which included spending quality time together and “bingeing the entire four seasons of The Crown,” the long-time couple - who first began dating in 2018, got engaged.

“JP and I didn’t get to see each other for almost all of 2020 because of the pandemic. When there was finally a chance for me to go and see him in Finland, I jumped at it. I was there for a little over two months. While I was there, I would tell him about five million jokes that I would want to pitch during my five hour zoom meetings for our NBC comedy,” Rippon captioned the photos. “And he would drive me into the Finnish forest where I would attempt to try and ‘help’ him shovel snow so he could keep working on the cottage he’s building. 

“So, in between all that and bingeing the entire four seasons of The Crown, we bought ourselves some rings and said that magic word... ‘duh!’ We got ~*engaged*~”

According to Rippon, the moment was extra special because the two men did it together, with the Olympian telling People: "We did everything together. We bought the rings together and picked them up at the same time.”

And when the rings, which are from Finland so they can have a piece of the country with them "all the time," were ready, the couple opened them together and proposed at the same time. 

“We did it at the same time so we both got to be the one who proposed!" Rippon said, adding that he is excited to marry Kajaala, who he met on Tinder, because he is “the best”. 

“He's my cheerleader and I'm his. I just love him a lot,” he said. 

The happy announcement was met with hundreds of supportive comments on Instagram, where fans and celebrities shared their well-wishes for the couple. 

“CONGRATS TO MY FAVE JERSEY COUPLE,” Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski commented, while Schitt’s Creek actor Dan Levy commented three heart emojis.

Fellow Olympian Lindsey Vonn also shared a congratulatory message, writing: “Congrats you two!!!”