Jutta Leerdam’s Olympic dreams took a devastating hit Friday, with Jake Paul watching helplessly from the stands.
The 26-year-old speed skater — who won silver at the Beijing Games in 2022 — wiped out during the Dutch Olympic Trials in her best event, the 1000 meters, slamming into the barrier and failing to finish. The fall knocked her out of automatic qualification for the Milan Winter Games in February.
Paul was in attendance just a week after suffering a fractured jaw in two places during his lucrative boxing bout with Anthony Joshua. All he could do was look on as Leerdam left the rink in tears.
Now, her fate rests with the Netherlands’ national selection committee, which is expected to reveal its picks in early January.
After Femke Kok and Suzanne Schulting took advantage of her crash to secure their own spots, Leerdam spoke candidly about the heartbreak.
‘I’m skating so well in practice. What those girls are skating here, I could have easily skated today,’ she said.
‘I’ve won the past World Cups. I’ve always been at least in the top two at the world level. I hope they (the selection committee) will look at my level, including today, how I was skating before I fell, and the growth I’m making.’
Still shaken, Leerdam admitted she had no clear explanation for the accident.
‘I don’t know if there was anything on the ice, but it felt like I was standing on something. I completely slid,’ she explained.
The trials continue through Dec. 30, and Leerdam will still race in the 500 meters in hopes of representing the Netherlands, though the 1000 meters remains her most meaningful discipline.
‘I’m so hyper-focused on one competition,’ she told Dutch media in October. ‘When the pressure is on, I just skate faster. I always put pressure on myself and want to make progress every time, which isn’t easy.’
Earlier in the week, Paul had shared how excited he was to support Leerdam at the Olympics as he healed from his injury, often flying overseas to watch her compete.
Speaking about his plans on brother Logan Paul’s ImPaulsive podcast, he said, ‘I’m going to take some time off to go support Jutta [Leerdam] at the Olympics.
‘Then she’s going to move to Puerto Rico (where Paul lives). Move her here. Maybe go snowboarding or something.’
For now, those hopes are uncertain, as Leerdam waits to see whether her Olympic journey will continue.
Read the full article here
