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As Jutta Leerdam secured her Olympic gold medal, the tears flowed and stained her face with eyeliner. The only person crying nearly as much was her fiance in the crowd.

Boxer-influencer Jake Paul and Leerdam have been engaged since last year.

And he was in the second row of the stands in the temporary speed skating arena at Rho Fiera exhibition centre in north Milan to watch the 27-year-old win the women’s 1000m gold.

Leerdam, pipped into silver at Beijing 2022, claimed the gold in a new Olympic record time.

Afterwards Leerdam paid tribute to Paul and her family, who she said had provided support that she had struggled to reciprocate.

“I’ve been supportive, but I’ve not been able to go to his [Paul’s] past fights because of skating. It would be nice to be there more,” she said. “He has supported me a lot more and has come to many of my races, so I’m very grateful.

“Also, my family – I’m just so grateful for the support system around me. It’s amazing.”

Jake Paul and social media aside, Leerdam is a star in her own right.

Leerdam has a dedicated following with more than five million followers on Instagram and millions more across other platforms.

She generally chooses to avoid traditional media and opts to speak from her own channels, bypassing attention and criticism from the Dutch press who closely cover the Olympic sport where they historically dominate.

Her profile expanded far beyond the speed skating oval in 2023 when she began a relationship with Paul, whose celebrity journey has taken him from YouTube personality to professional boxer. He fought former world champion Anthony Joshua last year.

The couple maintain a long-distance relationship, with Paul in the USA and Leerdam training in the Netherlands.

He watched the race surrounded by the camera crew which documents virtually his entire life.

But Monday in Milan was about Leerdam, who said the weight of expectation pushed her to deliver a “surreal” triumph.

She led a Dutch one-two ahead of Femke Kok, securing the country’s first medals of these Games.

Milan-Cortina 2026 organisers have “identified” a reason for the spate of broken medals at the Winter Olympics and said any athletes affected will have theirs fixed.

Two of the USA’s gold medallists, Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu, revealed the ribbons had come away from their medals soon after they received them.

Johnson, who won gold in the women’s downhill alpine skiing, showed her broken medal at the post-event news conference.

“So there’s the medal. And there’s the ribbon,” she said. “And here’s the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yeah, it came apart.”

The video shows Liu holding up her medal and the ribbon in separate hands, with the text: “My medal don’t need the ribbon.”

The issue also affected the German team who won bronze in the biathlon. An Instagram video shows one of the athletes’ medals falling from the ribbon as they jumped up and down in celebration at the team hotel.

“Following reports of issues affecting a small number of medals, the organising committee immediately reviewed the matter, working closely with the State Mint which produced the medals,” a spokesperson said.

“A solution has been identified, and a targeted fix has been put in place. Athletes whose medals have been affected are encouraged to return them through the appropriate channels so that they can be promptly repaired and returned.

“Milan-Cortina 2026 remains fully committed to ensuring that medals, which represent the pinnacle of every athlete’s journey, meet the highest standards of quality and care.”

BBC Sport has asked organisers what the exact issue with the medals was, and what the precise nature of the fix is.

This is not the first time the quality of medals awarded at Olympic Games has been called into question.

As of February 2025, a total of 220 requests have been made to replace medals won at the 2024 Summer Games because of wear and tear.

Diver Yasmin Harper, who won Team GB’s first medal in Paris, was among the athletes to notice her medal was showing signs of “tarnishing”.

Caroline Weir has been named Scotland captain on an official basis before the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg.

The Real Madrid midfielder missed Scotland’s 3-2 friendly win against China in December, but led out her country in the six matches that preceded it and now takes on the role full-time alongside vice-captain Erin Cuthbert.

Previous skipper Rachel Corsie retired in June after living in “chronic knee pain”.

Scotland play away in Luxembourg on 3 March before the return fixture four days later.

“I’m honoured and delighted to be named captain of the Scotland Women’s National Team,” Weir said. “It’s such a proud moment for me and my family.

“Every opportunity to represent Scotland is a privilege and to do so as captain is even more special and a responsibility that I’m excited to embrace.

“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by so many natural leaders within this squad and to have learned from those who have gone before me.

“It’s an exciting time for us as we start the qualification journey to Brazil 2027, with a passionate, hard-working and talented group of players.”

Liverpool’s Martha Thomas – on loan from Tottenham – misses out on Melissa Andreatta’s squad for March’s double-header despite scoring in Sunday’s 4-1 Women’s Super League win over Aston Villa, while there is also no spot for Rangers Leah Eddie, who recently returned from injury.

Hibernian forward Kathleen McGovern is selected after making her first start since November on Sunday, getting on the scoresheet in a 2-0 SWPL victory over Motherwell.

Goalkeepers: Eartha Cumings (Manchester City), Lee Gibson (Glasgow City), Sandy MacIver (Washington Spirit).

Defenders: Georgia Brown (SC Jacksonville), Jenna Clark (Liverpool), Nicola Docherty (Rangers), Sophie Howard (FC Como), Emma Lawton (Celtic), Rachel McLauchlan (Brighton and Hove Albion), Amy Muir (Glasgow City), Charlotte Newsham (Charlton).

Midfielders: Chelsea Cornet (Birmingham City), Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea), Kirsty Maclean (Liverpool), Maria McAneny (Celtic), Miri Taylor (Aston Villa), Caroline Weir (Real Madrid).