Dutch Speedskater Jutta Leerdam Wins Women’s 1,000 Olympic Gold With Fiancé Jake Paul in the Stands

Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands, center and gold medal, Femke Kok of the Netherlands, left and silver medal, and Japan's Miho Takagi, right and bronze medal, pose on the podium of the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 9, 2026. AP Photo/Ben Curtis

MILAN—There is little question that Jutta Leerdam and her fiancé, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, have brought new eyeballs to speedskating with all of their millions of followers on social media. Now all of those people who have been introduced to her sport saw Leerdam become an Olympic champion.

Stepping to the line well aware that her talented Dutch teammate, Femke Kok, had bettered the event’s existing Winter Games record two heats earlier Monday, and with Paul getting out of his second-row seat to cheer, Leerdam lowered that mark even further and won in 1 minute, 12.31 seconds at the Milan Cortina Olympics.