Photo Credit; Getty Images
Jutta Leerdam added another Olympic medal to her growing collection, and her fiancé Jake Paul was there to celebrate the milestone.
The 27 year old Dutch speed skater earned silver in the women's 500 meter event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 15. She finished just behind fellow Dutch skater Femke Kok, who captured the gold medal with a powerful final stretch. Japan's Miho Takagi secured bronze after a strong performance that kept her on the podium.
Leerdam held the top spot as the final two competitors prepared to skate. With Kok and Erin Jackson still to race, the standings were far from settled. Jackson, representing Team USA, surged ahead in the opening 250 meters and briefly took control. However, she was unable to maintain the pace through the closing stretch. Kok delivered a dominant finish to seize gold, pushing Leerdam into second place. Jackson ultimately finished fifth, 0.83 seconds behind Kok and just 0.05 seconds shy of a podium position.
After the race, Kok and Leerdam celebrated together, joined by Takagi in a shared moment of sportsmanship and national pride for the Netherlands.
Paul, 29, watched from the Milano Speed Skating Arena and quickly shared his excitement on social media. He posted a video capturing the moment Leerdam skated into first place earlier in the event and praised her achievement. "She's so amazing wow. Another medal. You inspire us all," he wrote in tribute to his fiancée.
Jackson, 33, had previously expressed confidence about competing under pressure. Speaking a year before the Games, she said she embraces high expectations and uses them to sharpen her focus. Jackson made history at the 2022 Beijing Olympics by becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal in speed skating.
At the 2026 Games, however, she was unable to repeat that success. In addition to her fifth place finish in the 500 meters, Jackson placed sixth in the 1000 meter event, closing out her Olympic campaign without a medal this time.
