Jutta Leerdam: Speed ​​skating star wins Olympic gold as fiancé Jake Paul cries

Leerdam has a dedicated following with over five million followers on Instagram and millions more across other platforms.

She generally chooses to avoid traditional media and chooses to speak from her own channels, bypassing the attention and criticism of the Dutch press which closely covers Olympic sport where it has historically dominated.

Her profile expanded beyond oval speed skating in 2023 when she began a relationship with Paul, whose celebrity journey took him from YouTube personality to professional boxer. He faced former world champion Anthony Joshua last year.

The pair maintain a long-distance relationship, with Paul training in the USA and Leerdam in the Netherlands.

He watched the race surrounded by a camera crew documenting almost his entire life.

But Monday in Milan was all about Leerdam, who said the weight of expectations drove her to a “surreal” victory.

She led the Dutch to a first-place finish ahead of Femke Kok, earning the country’s first medals at these Games.

“That was really something I still miss,” Leerdam said. “So, it feels very complete. It feels surreal.”