Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands has good reason to celebrate a day after she set an Olympic record in the women’s 1000m speed skating event for her first gold medal. A day later, she did a “diva” dance set to Beyoncé.
The 27-year-old Leerdam entered the 2026 Milano Cortina Games having won silver in the event in the 2022 Beijing Games, and is a seven-time world champion.
The Dutch star won with a time of 1:12.31 to edge out Netherlands teammate Femke Kok, who set the Olympic record before Leerdam raced.
Before that moment, the fiancée of influencer and Jake Paul as under scrutiny for her antics at the Winter Olympics after her Paul private jet flex, and then skipping the Opening Ceremony where she posted from bed instead.
Now, she’s a hero, especially in the Neterhlands. The Dutch media and fans there showed her love after gold with a hero’s welcome.