Jake Paul publicly rallied behind his fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, after the Dutch speed skater suffered a heartbreaking fall during the Olympic Trials in the Netherlands, an incident that has thrown her path to the 2026 Winter Olympics into uncertainty.
Leerdam crashed during the women’s 1,000-meter race in Heerenveen past Friday, a pivotal event where a clean finish could have secured her Olympic qualification. Visibly emotional, she left the ice in tears as her Olympic hopes now hinge on the Netherlands’ national selection process rather than an automatic berth.
Costly Heerenveen Fall Puts Jutta Leerdam’s Olympic Qualification In Jeopardy
The incident unfolded on December 26, during the Olympic Trials in Heerenveen, Netherlands, as reported by Olympics.com. Jutta Leerdam lost her balance on the second bend of the women’s 1,000-meter race, sliding across the ice before crashing into the boards.
Unable to finish, she left the rink visibly shaken and emotional. Jake Paul was in attendance and watched the race from the sidelines. Two days later, on December 28, the influencer-turned-boxer shared a message of support on his Instagram Stories.
Posting a clip of Leerdam skating inside the arena, Paul wrote, “So proud of you warrior @juttaleerdam.” Leerdam, a silver medalist in the 1,000 meters at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, later admitted she was unsure what caused the fall.
Speaking to Dutch outlet Schaatsen.nl, she said, “I don’t know if there was anything on the ice, but it felt like I was standing on something. I completely slid.”
She emphasized how uncharacteristic the mistake was given her recent form, adding, “(I’ve been) riding so well in practice. What those girls are riding here, I could have easily ridden today,” before admitting, “This is truly the most frustrating moment for this to happen, because I almost never fall.”
As a result of the crash, Leerdam’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy is now uncertain. Her Olympic fate rests with the Dutch Selection Committee, which evaluates medal potential when finalizing the national team.
Leerdam has expressed hope that the committee will consider her full body of work this season rather than a single incident. “I’ve won the past World Cups. I’ve always finished at least in the top two at the world level … I really want to win that medal for the Netherlands … I hope they’ll look at my level, including today. How I rode before I fell. And the growth I’m making,” she said.
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Paul and Leerdam made their relationship public in April 2023, when Paul shared photos of the couple on Instagram, jokingly captioning the post, “I’m Dutch now.” They announced their engagement on March 22, 2025, with a joint Instagram post that read, “We’re engaged💍🕊️🤍we can’t wait to spend forever together.”
Earlier this year, Leerdam told PEOPLE she was “shocked” by the proposal, revealing that Paul had secretly involved her family. “I had a feeling, but I didn’t know my parents were going to be there, so that was the biggest surprise ever,” she said at the New York City premiere of Paul American.
She added, “I was in shock, but it was the best day of my life, really.” Paul later admitted to PEOPLE that proposing made him more nervous than fighting, calling it “way more nervous than any of my fights.”
Jake Paul Reflects On Anthony Joshua Loss as ‘Great Experience’ After Brutal Miami Stoppage
Jake Paul reflected positively on his recent bout with Anthony Joshua, calling it “a great experience” despite suffering a stoppage defeat earlier this month in Miami. The fight marked just the second professional loss of Paul’s boxing career and ended with a sixth-round knockout victory for the former two-time heavyweight champion.
Joshua dropped Paul in the sixth round, breaking his jaw and forcing the referee to stop the contest. According to DAZN, Paul was largely outmatched in a scrappy encounter against the seasoned British heavyweight, whose size, power, and experience proved decisive.
Still, Paul pushed back on the idea that the fight was one-sided. Speaking on his brother Logan Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast, he said he felt competitive early on. “I won two rounds, and he won two, and then I got dropped. I was doing good,” Paul said.
He added, “I just think the mental pressure of the big guy is different. I was feeling his power a lot more. It’s a great experience overall to be in there with someone who’s that good. I learned a lot.”
Paul acknowledged the unique physical and psychological challenge of facing a true heavyweight. The loss also came at a steep cost, with Paul suffering a double jaw fracture during the fight, underscoring the brutality of the step up in competition.
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Paul’s next move has yet to be confirmed, but he has reiterated his long-held ambition of eventually challenging for a world title at cruiserweight, even in the wake of the setback. The loss has not deterred him from pursuing elite competition as he continues to frame the fight as a learning experience in his boxing journey.
Joshua, meanwhile, is expected to turn his attention toward a potential blockbuster showdown with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury. The long-anticipated super fight is widely rumored to take place in 2026, though reports suggest Joshua could return to the ring as early as February for a tune-up bout while negotiations continue.
