Speed skating star Leerdam wins gold as fiance Paul weeps

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.