Kamal Ghorui
Jake Paul’s fiancé, Jutta Leerdam, arrived at the Winter Olympics carrying more than medal expectations. The Dutch speed skater entered Milan as a reigning Olympic silver medallist and a multiple world champion, with global attention following her every move. Her profile has expanded far beyond the ice over the past four years.As competition builds in the women’s 1,000 metres, Leerdam finds herself at the center of a rare moment of recognition from inside the sport. Praise has come not from sponsors or fans, but from a direct rival who knows her work up close. That acknowledgment speaks to how her career has shaped speed skating during this Olympic cycle.
Winter Games rival says Jutta Leerdam has changed speed skating landscape
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands warms up during a speedskating training session, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Britain’s Ellia Smeding, the country’s only female speed skating representative, trained alongside Leerdam in the Netherlands before the Beijing Games. The two now prepare to race each other on Olympic ice. Smeding described Leerdam as an elite athlete whose influence reaches beyond results.“Before the last Olympics we were in the same environment and on the ice together quite a lot. She’s a really good athlete, a strong skater,” Smeding told The Sun.“It’s great what she’s doing for the sport in terms of exposure. I think we need that. “It’s really cool to get new eyes on the sport and see how much we all love it. We want to share that with the world. And that’s really a credit to her.”That impact has not gone unnoticed by officials. Jon Eley, performance director at British Ice Skating, also highlighted her value to the sport’s visibility.“One of the interesting things is how much the International Skating Union has played on her. “They’ve realised that it does bring a lot of eyes to the sport. Ultimately, it’s people talking about speed skating and being interested. And that’s only good in what we would classify as a minority sport.“Jutta’s very good. She’s won a lot of the World Cup races this season. She’s a phenomenal athlete.”
Jutta Leerdam travels solo to Milano Cortina by private jet
Jutta Leerdam skips Winter Olympics opening ceremony as private jet backlash and diva debate follow her to Milan (Image via Getty)
Instead of traveling with the Dutch team, Leerdam arrived in Italy by private jet. She traveled separately to Milano Cortina, accompanied by friends and greeted with custom messages of support before heading into training mode. After landing, she took a private car to the athletes’ village and began on-ice sessions.
