Jutta Leerdam is one of the most famous athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina. The 27-year-old Dutch speed skater, who won silver in 1000m in Beijing 2022, as well as World Sprint Champion 2022 World in 500 and 1000m and twice World Single Distance Champion, is a huge celebrity in the Netherlands and abroad... in a great deal known for her relationship with youtuber and boxer Jake Paul since 2023.
In Milano-Cortina, she stands as one of the favourites for gold medal at the 1000m and 500m, where she will participate on Monday afternoon. The Women's 1000m Speed Skating starts at 17:30 CET, 16:30 GMT. Remember that you can watch some events of the Winter Olympic Games in your public broadcaster, or the entirety of the Games on HBO Max.
Leerdam will also participate in women's 500m, which will take place on Sunday, February 15, at 17:00 CET, 16:00 GMT.
However, she stands competition from one of her compatriots: Femke Kok, who currently leads the ISU world rankings in 500m and 1000m, and swept all three sprint distances at the Dutch Olympic trials before the Games.
Jutta Leerdam, a Winter Olympic celebrity with some controversy
While Jutta Leerdam is one of the Netherlands' main hopes for gold medal, she has also been quite controversial for her decision to not participate in press conferences or the media, and instead communicate via her social media, directly to her 5.2 million Instagram followers.
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The fact that she travelled to Italy on her private jet and not with the rest of the team, and of course her relationship with known pro-Trump YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul have turned her into a divisive figure in the Netherlands. Of course, a gold medal would change all of that, and we will know this afternoon...