Where is Jutta Leerdam from?

Jutta Leerdam was born in 's-Gravenzande, Netherlands. 

How old is Jutta Leerdam in 2026?

Leerdam was born on December 30, 1998. She will be 27 years old in 2026.

When did Jutta Leerdam start speed skating?

Leerdam originally played field hockey in her youth before taking up speed skating when she was 11 years old. She grew up skating on tracks around 's-Gravenzande.

What events does Jutta Leerdam compete in?

Leerdam competes in sprint distances, skating in the 500m and 1000m events.

How tall is Jutta Leerdam?

Leerdam is 5 feet and 11 inches tall.

Jutta Leerdam skates the women's speed skating 1000m event in Beijing.

Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

What is Jutta Leerdam’s career timeline in speed skating?

Leerdam's first success in speed skating came at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland, where she was crowned junior world champion. She claimed silver the following year in Salt Lake City, winning the ISU Junior World Cup in the 1000m and 1500m events and the Dutch junior sprint championships that same season.

Leerdam started her senior season in 2018, joining Team IKO. During her senior debut, she became the Dutch sprint champion and world champion in the team sprint with Letitia de Jong and Janine Smit. Since then, she's been on the rise, winning multiple world and European titles in addition to claiming silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

How did Jutta Leerdam perform at the 2022 Beijing Olympics?

In Beijing, Leerdam's debut Olympic Games, she competed in the 500m and 1000m events. She claimed silver in the 1000m with a time of 1:13.83 behind Japan's Miho Takagi and placed fifth in the 500m.

How many world championships has Jutta Leerdam won?

Leerdam is a seven-time world champion. She won her first world title at the 2019 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in team sprint with teammates de Jong and Smit. Leerdam won her first individual world title the following year in the 1000m with a time of 1:11.84. She defended her title in team sprint with de Jong and Femke Kok. Less than a month after earning silver in Beijing, Leerdam claimed the women's sprint title at the 2022 World Sprint Championships with a total score of 151.140 across four events. She reclaimed her world title in the 1000m at the 2023 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships.

What are Jutta Leerdam’s career-best times in the 500m and 1000m?

Leerdam currently holds the Dutch record in the women's 1000m with a time of 1:11.84, which she set when she won gold in the event at the 2020 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships. Leerdam's career-best time in the 500m is 37.14 seconds, which she skated at the 2023 KNSB Dutch Allround Championships in 2022.

Will Jutta Leerdam compete at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics?

While the official Dutch speed skating team has not yet been announced, Leerdam is expected to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Could Jutta Leerdam win her first individual Olympic gold medal in 2026?

If Leerdam makes the Dutch speed skating team, she has a very good chance of contending for her first individual Olympic gold medal. Since her silver in Beijing, Leerdam has been at the top of her game in the 1000m event. After winning world and European titles in 2022 and 2023, Leerdam dealt with a left ankle injury in 2024, causing an inconsistent start to her 2024-2025 season. Earlier this year, she announced she would be stepping away from everything, including her fiancé and dog, as she took the next 10 months to dedicate all her time to train for gold. Despite her injury, her determination and commitment to her training to get back to the top of her game ahead of Milan shows positive signs toward capturing gold in 2026. 

How is Jutta Leerdam performing in the 2025–26 ISU World Cup season?

Leerdam will compete in her first competition at the Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the 2025-26 ISU Speed Skating World Cup kicks off this November.

What events will Jutta Leerdam race at Milan Cortina 2026?

Leerdam most likely will compete in the 500m and 1000m events at Milan Cortina 2026.

What are Jutta Leerdam’s biggest World Cup victories?

Leerdam's career-best performance in the ISU World Cup is her second-place finish in 2023 in the 1000m. She placed first in five of the six competitions on the circuit, finishing just one point behind Takagi in the final rankings. 

How many medals has Jutta Leerdam won at the European Championships?

Leerdam is a six-time European champion. She won her first European title in single distances in 2020 in the 1000m, setting a personal best at 1:13.67.  She won her first European title in sprint the following year, finishing first and second in her two 1000m events and third and fourth in her two 500m events. Leerdam has won two European titles in single distances for the 1000m and two European titles in sprint twice since then. 

How does Jutta Leerdam rank in ISU world standings heading into Milan Cortina 2026?

Leerdam ranked fourth in the 1000m and 12th in the 500m in the ISU rankings at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Who was Jutta Leerdam named after?

Leerdam's father, who is a windsurfing enthusiast, named her after German windsurfing world champion Jutta Müller.

What famous celebrity is Jutta Leerdam engaged to?

Leerdam is engaged to American YouTube star and professional boxer, Jake Paul. The duo first met after Paul sent her a message over Instagram DMs asking her to be on his podcast. Paul announced their relationship on Instagram in April 2023, and the couple got engaged this past March.

Is one of Jutta Leerdam’s family members also a speed skater?

Leerdam's second cousin, Dione Voskamp, also is a speed skater. Voskamp competed in the 2022 World Sprint Championships in Hamar, Norway, where she won gold in the team sprint.