Dutch speed skating star Jutta Leerdam claimed gold with a stunning Olympic record at Milan Cortina, with fiance Jake Paul seen in tears as he watched on from the stands.
Leerdam had come into the event as one of the favourites for gold having been the form skater over the distance this season.
The 27-year-old superstar had been hoping to upgrade from the silver medal she won in the 1,000m at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
She was in the last pairing to compete in the final, where she competed head-to-head with Japan’s Miho Takagi, who beat her to gold four years ago.
Leerdam had been faced with the challenge of breaking the Olympic record, which had been set moments earlier by her team-mate Femke Kok.
The Dutch superstar responded by powering around the ice to take gold in a time of 1:12.31.
Dutch star Jutta Leerdam claimed gold in the women’s 1000 speed skating event in an Olympic record
Jake Paul was seen crying in the stands following his fiancee’s success in the event
Leerdam became the first Dutch athlete to win a gold medal at Milan Cortina 2026
Leerdam was seen wiping tears away after crossing the line to seal the gold medal.
Her compatriot Kok finished with the silver medal, while Takagi claimed the bronze.
Leerdam had been fortunate to have appeared in the event, after being a discretionary pick by the Dutch team after crashing in their trials back in December.
Paul took to social media following the final, writing: ‘Juttttttttttaaaaaaaa. I can’t stop crying.
‘You did it my love. Olympic Gold. God is great and so are you.’
Paul had earlier sent Leerdam a message of support ahead of the event on social media.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer wrote: ‘Today is your day baby. You’ve worked your whole life for this. We all love and support you so much go get em champ.’
The American had also shared a social media post from the stands ahead of the race, encouraging US viewers to tune in to watch the final.
Leerdam burst into tears after claiming gold, upgrading from her silver medal from Beijing 2022
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul was seen celebrating following Leerdam’s Olympic gold medal win
Leerdam looked emotional as she stepped onto the podium after claiming her first Olympic title
Paul had urged US viewers to tune in to watch Leerdam compete in the 1000m final in Milan
In the build-up to her event, Leerdam had received criticism over her decision to skip the Opening Ceremony.
Taking to her Instagram story on Friday, she shared a picture of the Netherlands team as they marched through and captioned it with the nation’s flag and a heart emoji.
Leerdam’s decision to skip the event comes after she was branded a ‘prima donna’ and ‘diva’ following her decision to fly to the Winter Olympics on a private jet.
With her entourage in tow, Leerdam was greeted onto the jet with custom flags and handmade cupcakes with a message of support written on them.
The jet’s television screen had also been transformed to an orange background with Leerdam’s picture on it. Jake Paul commented on the post, writing: ‘Time to shine’.
Upon her arrival, Leerdam then appeared to take a private car with her friends to the athletes’ village and then posed for selfies in front of the iconic Olympic rings before starting to practice.
The King and Queen of the Netherlands had been attendance as Leerdam claimed the country’s first gold medal of the Games
Leerdam was last week branded a ‘diva’ after flying to the Winter Olympics on a private jet
The Dutch star also opted to skip the Opening Ceremony and instead watched the event in bed
Leerdam’s antics have reportedly not gone down well back home and former Dutch soccer player turned analyst Johan Derksen did not hold back on the 27-year-old beauty.
He said: ‘She should want it of her own accord. She’s already living like a millionaire, with private jets and everything.
‘Her behaviour is horrible to me, like that of a diva. If I were her coach, I wouldn’t tolerate that.
‘Gradually the whole of the Netherlands is starting to get a bit fed up with her behaviour.’
