Jutta Leerdam delivered one of the defining moments of the Milan Winter Olympics on Sunday, capturing gold in the women’s 1,000m speed skating event in record-breaking fashion.
The Dutch star’s triumph was made even more emotional by the reaction in the stands, where her fiance, internet personality and professional boxer Jake Paul, was visibly moved to tears as he watched her skate into Olympic history.
Jutta Leerdam shines on the Olympic stage
Representing the Netherlands, Leerdam entered the final pair of skaters with immense pressure on her shoulders. Moments earlier, teammate Femke Kok had set a new Olympic benchmark of 1:12.59, placing herself in provisional gold medal position and raising expectations for a Dutch sweep at the top.
Jutta Leerdam responded with a flawless and powerful performance. Skating at remarkable speed, she completed one lap in just over 26 seconds and crossed the line in 1:12.31, shaving nearly three-tenths of a second off the newly set record.
The time secured her the Olympic gold and confirmed her status as one of the most dominant figures in modern speed skating.
Podium finish and elite competition
The final race featured a high-profile matchup, with Leerdam facing defending Olympic champion Tigaki Miho of Japan. Miho, the most decorated female Olympian in Japanese speed skating, had previously edged Leerdam in the Beijing 2022 final.
In Milan, however, the outcome was different. Despite a strong showing, Miho finished nearly a second slower than Leerdam and had to settle for bronze.
Femke Kok, the 2025 world champion, claimed silver, ensuring the Netherlands occupied the top two places on the podium.
The result marked the country’s first gold medal of the Games, a moment celebrated loudly by a sea of orange-clad Dutch supporters inside the arena.
Emotional scenes after the finish
Immediately after crossing the line, Jutta Leerdam collapsed against the barrier, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment. Fighting back tears, she acknowledged the crowd before turning her attention toward the stands, where Jake Paul watched on.
Paul, equally emotional, was seen wiping away tears as Leerdam blew kisses in his direction, a powerful visual that quickly became one of the Games’ most talked-about moments.
Other notable performances
Elsewhere in the event, Team GB’s Ellia Smeding finished 11th out of 30 competitors, ending her race 3.52 seconds behind Leerdam’s gold-winning time. While outside the medal positions, her performance capped a highly competitive field on a historic night for women’s speed skating.
Jutta Leerdam’s gold not only opened the Netherlands’ medal tally in Milan but also reinforced her reputation as an Olympic champion capable of delivering under the brightest lights.