Dutch star Leerdam sets Olympic record in 1000m speedskating

Jutta Leerdam set an Olympic record of 1:12.31 in the women’s 1000m, earning the Netherlands its first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games.abcnews
Teammate Femke Kok had briefly held the Olympic record before Leerdam surpassed it moments later; Japan’s Miho Takagi took bronze.nbcolympics
Leerdam’s fiancé, boxer Jake Paul, was seen crying in the stands and later celebrated on social media, calling her win “Olympic Gold.”people

Jutta Leerdam Wins Olympic Gold in 1000m Speedskating

Jutta Leerdam stormed to victory in the women’s 1000-meter speedskating event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday, setting an Olympic record time of 1 minute, 12.31 seconds and delivering the Netherlands its first gold medal of the Games.

The 27-year-old Dutch star, skating in the final pairing alongside defending Olympic champion Miho Takagi of Japan, never faltered in front of a raucous crowd of orange-clad fans at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Her performance erased the memory of her silver medal finish at the 2022 Beijing Games, where Takagi had edged her by less than a second.abcnews

Dutch Domination on the Ice

Leerdam’s victory capped a dramatic final sequence. Just moments earlier, her teammate Femke Kok had set a new Olympic record of 1:12.59 in the 13th pairing alongside American Brittany Bowe, breaking Takagi’s mark of 1:13.19 from Beijing. But Leerdam had other plans.yahoo

Starting slightly behind after the first lap, she shifted into high gear, reaching speeds of nearly 35 miles per hour and posting the fastest second and third lap times of any competitor. She crossed the finish line 0.28 seconds ahead of Kok, securing a Dutch 1-2 finish.tmz

Takagi, Japan’s most decorated female Winter Olympian, took bronze with a time of 1:13.95, claiming her eighth career Olympic medal across five Games. The Americans had less to celebrate: Bowe finished fourth at 1:14.55, while Erin Jackson, the 2022 500-meter gold medalist, placed sixth at 1:15.00.nbcolympics

Tears in the Stands

As Leerdam completed her victory lap, cameras captured her fiancé Jake Paul sobbing in the second row of the stands. The 28-year-old boxer-influencer had cheered her through the race and was overcome with emotion as she secured the gold.people

“Juttttttttttaaaaaaaa. I can’t stop crying,” Paul wrote on X following the race. “You did it my love. Olympic Gold. God is great and so are you”.sportbible

The couple began dating in 2023 after connecting on Instagram and announced their engagement in March 2025.usatoday

Final Bows and Future Races

For Bowe, the fourth-place finish marked a bittersweet moment in what she has said will be her final Olympic Games. The 37-year-old owns two Olympic bronze medals but the gold has remained elusive.channelnewsasia

Leerdam still has unfinished business in Milan. She is scheduled to compete in the women’s 500 meters on February 15, where she will face Jackson defending her Olympic title.foxnews