MILAN (AP) — 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.
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Dutch King Willem-Alexander listen to Queen Maxima as they watch the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Gold medallist Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands reacts on the podium of the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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, celebrate on the podium after the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Jake Paul of the U.S., center, cries after his fiancé Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cries after winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
“Everyone saw how hard of a position I had in the last pair, after a super good time. For everyone, it was surreal,” said Leerdam, who was up against defending champion Miho Takagi of Japan in the day's final heat. “It feels very amazing. Just like a cherry on top of my career, basically. It’s amazing. It’s perfect.”
In front of a raucous crowd of orange-clad fans from her speedskating-loving nation, 2022 silver medalist Leerdam never strayed from her steady strides until she'd crossed the finish line. Then she threw an arm overhead and let out a shout.
Soon, she was along the boards near where Paul was. Leerdam blew him kisses and formed a heart shape with her hands as tears — and mascara — streaked her cheeks.
“My makeup was everywhere,” Leerdam said later with a laugh. “But that’s a good thing, I think.”
Kok was next, a little more than a quarter of a second behind, in 1:12.59 — also quicker than the 1:13.19 Takagi skated to defeat Leerdam at the Beijing Games and record the previous best 1,000 at an Olympics. Takagi wound up with the bronze this time.
“After Femke hit the Olympic record, then SHE breaks the Olympic record,” Paul said about Leerdam. “Just the best thing ever.”
The winning times in all three speedskating races so far in the temporary arena built for these Olympics have been new Winter Games marks.
Kok thought hers might stand up.
“I knew it was a good time, so maybe it was enough for gold," Kok said. “But she was just a little bit faster. I can only respect that.”
Brittany Bowe, the American who still holds the 1,000 world record that she set in 2019, was fourth Monday, missing out on what would have been her third career bronze in what she says, at age 37, is her final trip to an Olympics.
Another U.S. skater, Erin Jackson, the 500 gold medalist four years ago, was sixth.
Leerdam will seek another medal next Sunday in the 500. Her trophy case already includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 — in 2020 and 2023.
She's been superb in the 1,000 this season, winning three of the four World Cup races she entered at that distance. That included beating Kok in Germany last month.
Her results bring extra attention. So does the massive amount of people who track every move by her — and by Paul — via social media.
“She’s one of one. She obviously has a platform that nobody else has had in the speedskating world,” Bowe said. “And I have to just give my hat off to her and give her her flowers today. I can't even imagine the amount of pressure and expectation that has been put on her the past couple of years — and then, really, in this moment. And so for her to be able to deliver an Olympic-record performance like that is really commendable. … I know the pressure, the stress, everything, it takes to be able to fight for that.”
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Dutch King Willem-Alexander listen to Queen Maxima as they watch the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Gold medallist Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands reacts on the podium of the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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, celebrate on the podium after the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Jake Paul of the U.S., center, cries after his fiancé Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cries after winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
