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.
© DeFodi Images via Getty ImagesJake Paul shows support to his fiancée
Jake Paul, who was in the stands for Leerdam’s 1000-meter crash, later voiced his support on Instagram, calling her a “warrior.” Paul attended the event just a week after suffering two fractures in his jaw during his lucrative boxing bout with Anthony Joshua and could do little more than watch as Leerdam left the rink in tears.
© ANP/AFP via Getty ImagesNow, 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 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.’
© DeFodi Images via Getty ImagesJutta Leerdam fights back after a brutal Olympic Trials crash
By December 29—just one day after her fall—Jutta Leerdam had already issued a statement. She surged to a second-place finish in the 500 meters, stopping the clock at roughly 37.24 seconds, just behind Femke Kok’s track record-setting time. The result kept Leerdam’s Olympic hopes alive, with her path now expected to depend on the selection committee, which is set to make its decision in early January 2026.
© DeFodi Images via Getty Images
© DeFodi Images via Getty ImagesFrom tears to determination
Leerdam left the rink in tears after the fall. Two days later, she made it clear she’s still fighting for Milan.
Still shaken, Leerdam admitted that she had no clear plan for her next steps.r 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.
© DeFodi Images via Getty Images‘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.’
Jake Paul plans to support Jutta Leerdam as her Olympic future hangs in the balance
© ANP/AFP via Getty ImagesEarlier in the week, Paul shared how excited he was to support Leerdam at the Olympics while recovering from his injury, noting that he often flies overseas to watch her compete.
© DeFodi Images via Getty ImagesDiscussing his plans on his 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 I live. Move her here. Maybe go snowboarding or something.”
For now, those plans remain uncertain as Leerdam waits to learn whether her Olympic journey will continue.
Jutta Leerdam’s decorated speed skating résumé
© International Skating Union viaLeerdam is a Dutch speed skating star with an elite sprint résumé. She won Olympic silver in the 1000m at Beijing 2022, captured World Single Distances 1000m gold in 2020 and 2023, and claimed the overall World Sprint title in 2022. She has also secured multiple European championships and world gold medals in the team sprint. In 2025, she earned gold (team sprint), silver (500 m), and bronze (1000 m) at the World Single Distances Championships and added several ISU World Cup victories in the 1000 m.
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