Jake Paul’s girlfriend Jutta Leerdam captures Olympic gold in women’s 1000m speed skating—why the celebration is everywhere

Jutta Leerdam delivered one of the first signature moments of the 2026 Winter Games, winning Olympic gold in the women’s 1000-meter speed skating on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 (ET), and setting a new Olympic record in the process. The victory set off a wave of celebration that quickly spread far beyond the rink—helped along by the presence of her fiancé, boxer and influencer Jake Paul, whose emotional reaction became part of the story almost instantly.

Leerdam’s time—1:12.31—not only topped the field, it also gave the Netherlands its first gold medal of these Games and reinforced the country’s reputation as the modern center of speed skating.

A record race in Milan

Leerdam’s run was defined by control through the middle portion and a closing lap that separated her from the rest of the podium. The Dutch orange in the stands was loud, and the results were even louder: a Dutch 1–2 finish.

• Gold: Jutta Leerdam (Netherlands) — 1:12.31 (Olympic record)

• Silver: Femke Kok (Netherlands) — 1:12.59

• Bronze: Miho Takagi (Japan) — bronze after entering as the defending Olympic champion in this event

Kok briefly held an Olympic record earlier in the competition before Leerdam skated even faster minutes later, turning the final pairs into a rapid one-upmanship of record pace.

Why the celebration is everywhere

Leerdam’s win didn’t just trend because it was gold. It hit multiple storylines at once—athletic, national, and pop-culture—creating a perfect storm for widespread sharing.

Four reasons it exploded online

• The Olympic record: 1:12.31 is a clean, headline-ready number that signals dominance, not just a narrow win.

• The redemption arc: Leerdam upgraded from silver in 2022 to gold, flipping the script after a previous near-miss in the same event.

• A Dutch statement: The Netherlands opened its gold account with a Dutch 1–2, a reminder that speed skating remains one of the country’s strongest Olympic engines.

• Raw emotion on camera: Jake Paul’s tearful reaction, followed by a visible on-ice celebration, gave the moment an instantly relatable human punch.

In a Games that’s still building its early narrative, “record + redemption + emotion” is a powerful combination.

Jake Paul’s role in the viral moment

Search interest spiked around “Jake Paul’s girlfriend” as footage circulated from the stands and rink-side celebration. Leerdam and Paul are engaged (he proposed in 2025), and the cameras treated their post-race moment as a storyline in itself: tears, hugs, and a celebratory family circle that played out in full view of a global audience.

For Leerdam, the attention is a double-edged sword—massive visibility, but also a risk that the spotlight shifts away from the sport. On Monday, the balance largely held: the win came first, and the relationship amplified it rather than replacing it.

The deeper significance for the Netherlands

Leerdam’s gold also landed as a broader marker for Dutch speed skating. With this result, the Netherlands added to a long history of Olympic dominance in the sport, including a high all-time tally of gold medals in Olympic speed skating events. This was also a tone-setting moment for the Dutch team early in the Games: the kind of win that can unlock momentum across multiple distances and athletes.

Kok’s silver mattered too. In a field stacked with champions and medal contenders, the Dutch sweep of the top two spots signaled depth—not just one superstar performance.

What’s next for Leerdam at these Games

The immediate question is how Leerdam follows a peak moment. Olympic record races can take a physical and emotional toll, but they also create confidence that carries into later starts. The women’s speed skating schedule still offers additional medal opportunities across different distances, and the Dutch team typically targets multiple podiums as the program progresses.

For now, the headline is simple: Leerdam delivered a gold medal and an Olympic record, and the celebration is everywhere because it connected with far more than speed skating fans.

Sources consulted: Reuters, Associated Press, International Olympic Committee, The Guardian