Dutch speed skater and Olympic silver medallist Jutta Leerdam saw her hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan evaporate in tears on Friday after a dramatic fall at the Dutch Olympic Trials.
A Costly Crash in Her Signature Event
The 26-year-old, who is engaged to social media star and boxer Jake Paul, crashed during the 1000m distance – her strongest event – and did not finish the race. The devastating error means Leerdam must now rely on the national selection committee to grant her a discretionary place for the games in Italy next February.
Visibly upset after the race, Leerdam expressed her frustration, stating she had been skating at a high level in practice. "I'm skating so well in practice. What those girls are skating here, I could have easily skated today," she said. Her teammates, Femke Kok and Suzanne Schulting, capitalised on her misfortune to secure their own spots for Milan.
An Appeal to the Committee and Support from the Stands
Leerdam, who won silver at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, made a passionate case for her selection based on her consistent world-class performances. "I've won the past World Cups. I've always been at least in the top two at the world level," she argued. "I hope they will look at my level, including today, how I was skating before I fell, and the growth I'm making."
Watching from the stands was her fiancé, Jake Paul, who was supporting her just a week after suffering a broken jaw in two places during his boxing defeat to British heavyweight Anthony Joshua. Paul had undergone surgery, which involved inserting four plates and resulted in lost teeth.
Future Plans Now in the Balance
In a recent interview following his own fight, Paul had spoken of his plans to take time off to support Leerdam at the Olympics before the couple moved to his home in Puerto Rico. "I’m going to take some time off to go support Jutta at the Olympics. Then she’s going to move to Puerto Rico," he had said. Those plans are now uncertain following her failure to qualify automatically.
The couple, who got engaged in March after Paul initially messaged her to appear on his podcast, have been together since 2023. Leerdam has previously spoken about her surprise at their relationship, telling a documentary that Paul was the "complete opposite" of what she had assumed from his social media.
Despite his painful loss to Joshua, from which he earned an estimated $92 million, Paul insisted he remains committed to boxing. He also revealed personal plans, telling his brother Logan of his desire to start a family soon, saying, "I feel ready bro, I have such baby fever. Like I want kids so bad."
For now, however, the immediate focus for the high-profile pair is on the Dutch selection committee's verdict, which will determine if Leerdam's Olympic dream remains alive.
