Real-life Heated Rivalry couple set to compete for opposing hockey teams in Winter Olympics
In October, the couple recently celebrated their one-year anniversary as fiancées
By Aaron Sugg
A hockey player couple are set for a Heated Rivalry-style dynamic at the 2026 Winter Olympics as both compete for opposing teams.
Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) players Anna Kjellbin (Toronto Sceptres) and Ronja Savolainen (Ottawa Charge) are engaged and are set to be rivals in the upcoming Winter Games.
Savolainen will play for Finland and Kjellbin for Sweden. They are unlikely to meet in the Olympic preliminaries but could face each other in the medal rounds.
“We can take it up after the game” – Ronja Savolainen on competing against fiancé Anna Kjellbin
Savolainen is already an Olympic medallist, having won two bronze medals while representing Finland at the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Games. Kjellbin, however, will be making her Adult Olympic debut in February this year after winning gold at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen in 2024, Savolainen was asked what she would do if she faced her fiancée on the ice. She said: “I don’t care who’s in front of me… if it’s going to be her, I’m going to hit her. We can take it up after the game.”
She continued: “When you play, you just play. You don’t really think about who’s there. You’re friends after. On the ice, she’s my enemy. That’s how it goes.”
“What did I do to deserve you?” – Savolainen celebrating her one year engagement to Kjellbin
The couple met while playing in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League and dated for five years before getting engaged in 2024.
In October, the couple recently celebrated their one-year anniversary as fiancées, with Savolainen marking the milestone in a heartfelt Instagram post.
She wrote alongside a carousel of romantic images: “One year of being engaged. What did I do to deserve you… Grateful for you and us. Looking forward to the rest of my life with you!”
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