Jutta Leerdam: Top facts you did not know about the Dutch star speed skater 

Who is Jutta Leerdam? The skating world champion with over 4.5m followers on Instagram is a trendsetter. She's tipped to regain control of the 1000m event this season as she eyes a return to Olympic ice at Milano Cortina 2026.

5 minBy Evelyn Watta
Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam.
(IMAGO/Orange Pictures)

Jutta Leerdam likes to take control both on and off the ice.

As the flying Dutchwoman prepares for her second Olympics in speed skating, a lot has changed in her professional and personal life.

Last summer, the 25-year-old joined a new training base in a bid to win gold at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The Beijing 2022 silver medallist also confirmed in early 2023 that she is in a relationship with YouTuber-turned-superstar and boxer Jake Paul who will challenge former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson this weekend in the ring.

Here are some interesting facts that you might not know about the popular 1000m specialist as she prepares for the ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Japan.

Leerdam's life on ice

Like many young women growing up in the Netherlands, Leerdam would skate on tracks around her hometown in ‘s-Gravenzande.

From the age of 11, the former field hockey player enjoyed nothing more than racing down frozen surfaces.

In 2020, she won her first major individual title at the European Championships (1000m) despite nursing an injury.

In the same year, she also helped the Dutch squad retain the Team Sprint title at the 2020 World Single Distances Championships in Salt Lake City, USA and added gold in the 1000m.

Leerdam, now a six-time world champion, still feels she has yet to fulfil her potential.

Winning silver at the Beijing 2022 Games confirmed her status as one of the best skaters over the 1000m, but her time fell short of the standards she had set for herself.

She wants more at the Milano Cortina games.

Leerdam’s new training team

In 2020, Leerdam made a huge career step by leaving Team Reggeborgh and setting up Team Worldstream with her then-partner Koen Verweij.

Fast forward to 2022. The rising star joined the Jumbo-Visma Skating team where she had to share the limelight - and attention of head coach Jac Orie - with other Dutch aces like Jorrit Bergsma and Thomas Krol.

That collaboration ended in April of this year, and Leerdam initially decided to head into the new season without a coach.

"I decided to go solo this year, a decision that turned the past few months into a tunnel vision, focus on improvement and being a better athlete in every aspect everyday," she posted on social media four months ago.

"I received so many sweet messages, so here’s the update! I started working with my coach Kosta Poltavets again. Back to where I come from. The trainings are hard and challenging but that’s what my body needs. Half of the time I train with an international team named Novus. A great diverse team with a lot of staff members that I trust and believe in from the time I had my own skating team."

Team Novus is led by former top skaters Michel Mulder and former Australian Daniel Greig who alongside Poltavets - had already guided her during her time at Team Worldstream.

At Novus, she now works out with other sprinters like Dione Voskamp and Naomi Verkerk, while enjoying the challenge of training with men too.

“She is a very strong athlete with good motivation and a top sports mindset," Greig told Schaatsen. "Jutta raises the average level of the training group, which allows everyone to strive for a higher level."

Jutta Leerdam and Jake Paul: A power couple

That’s not the only change in her support team. There’s been a new addition to her growing fanbase, particularly one man who has been at her side a lot more over the past year.

Leerdam has been dating a well-known face from social media and the boxing ring in 26-year-old American Jake Paul.

Leerdam has been spending a lot of time in the U.S. and is expected to cheer on her boyfriend in his mega fight against Tyson on 15 November in Texas.

The couple boasts a massive following on social media. Leerdam has over 4.5 million followers on Instagram, while Paul has racked up more than 27 million followers on IG alone.

Jutta Leerdam’s injury troubles

On the ice, Leerdam is looking to regain control of the 1000m from Takagi Miho of the Republic of Korea.

But the Dutchwoman has struggled with an ankle injury that she has tried to ignore but is forced to confront every morning when she gets up.

“When I get out of bed, I think, ‘something is wrong’. I am occupied with it all day, and it is driving me crazy,” she said of the on-and-off pain, which she is working to address with a team of experts.

“If I were a runner, I would have noticed that I cannot roll my foot properly, but it would not bother me. Skating is so specific and complex. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't.

“Rest is not an option. We don’t know what’s causing it. Rest could also make it worse. The only thing I can do is stay focused and do everything around it perfectly.”

Leerdam is tackling her discomfort head-on, aiming for gold at Milano Cortina.

Jutta Leerdam of Netherlands will compete at the 2024 ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships.

(Getty Images)
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