Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam just missed out on her second gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Games.
After her impressive performance, Leerdam, a two-time Olympian and fiancée of boxing star Jake Paul, finished in second place behind her teammate Femke Koch in the women’s 500m speed skating race on Sunday.
She crossed the line 0.66 seconds behind Koch, who not only won but also set a new Olympic record of 36.49 seconds.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Miho Takagi secured the bronze medal, and American skater Erin Jackson fell just short of a podium finish, missing it by 0.5 seconds.
Leerdam arrived at these Winter Olympics with optimism, though some controversy surrounded her participation.
She earned the nickname “Diva” for taking a private jet to Italy for the competition, but she silenced her critics with her strong performance.
This silver medal marked Leerdam’s second medal of these Olympics and her third overall.
Just a week prior, she celebrated her first Olympic gold by breaking a world record in the women’s 1,000-meter speed skating event, clocking in at 1:12.31.
Paul was visibly moved by Leerdam’s achievements and shared his excitement. He expressed his feelings to the Associated Press, saying, “Words can’t describe it. Honestly, this is the best feeling I’ve ever witnessed. That’s the amount of effort it takes—99.9% of people will never understand. And she did it under immense pressure.”
Leerdam’s performance on Sunday marked a significant improvement from the 2022 Beijing Games, where she finished fifth in the same event.
After the race, Paul took to Instagram to celebrate his partner’s success, writing, “She is truly amazing, amazing. Another medal, you are an inspiration to us all, Jutta Leerdam.”
