ICYMI, the Winter Olympics are currently underway in Milan, and one name is standing out from the rest: Jutta Leerdam.
The Dutch speed skater has just smashed an Olympic record, winning gold at the women's 1000 metres event. Oh, and she's also engaged to boxer and YouTuber, Jake Paul.
Dying to know more? Read our full guide to the Olympic star below…
Who is Jutta Leerdam?
Jutta Leerdam is a 27-year-old Olympic champion and speed skater from the Netherlands, and has been skating since she was only 11. While the rest of us were enjoying our first legal drink at the put, she first saw success at the young age of 18, winning the women’s all-round and 1500m titles at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. She followed that up with all-round silver the following year in Salt Lake City, USA.
Since then, she's been closely followed as a rising star in the women's skating circuit — and gained even more attention after announcing her relationship with Jake Paul (more on that later!).
How many Winter Olympic medals has she won?
Jutta has one gold Winter Olympic medal for the women's 1000 metres, which she won this February 2026 at the Winter Olympics in Milan, and also won a silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. “The only thing I could do today was skate fast," Jutta told reporters after winning the gold medal at Cortina Milano. “That's exactly what I did, and it resulted in something very nice.”
She's not only smashing it at the Olympics: she's also the 2022 World Sprint Champion in the 500 and 1000 metres combined, and the 2020 and 2023 World Single Distance Champion. Altogether, she has 12 world championship medals, including six golds. All in a day's work for a champion speed skater *shrugs*.
When did she get engaged to Jake Paul?
You might best know Jutta for her relationship with YouTube star and boxer Jake Paul. The skate star has a giant social media presence, racking up over six million followers on Instagram, where she shares updates on her skating career, as well as snaps of her life with Jake, such as holidays to Lake Como and Puerto Rico together.
The couple have been together since April 2023, and like with any modern romance, it all started with a DM. “Jake sent me a DM on Instagram and asked if I wanted to be on his podcast,” she shared in the documentary Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson. “And I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it. Can be good, can be nice.’”
And beyond her initial reservations about his brash, controversial online persona, she found that there's a soft centre inside that tough exterior. “I never, ever expected to date him, like never. Of course, I didn’t know a lot about him. I could only scroll on his Instagram and form an opinion like the whole world does. But he is the complete opposite.”
Since then, the pair have gone from strength to strength, with both stars showing up for each other at their respective sporting events — Jake's fights and Jutta's skating competitions — and Jake is uncharacteristically emotional and lovey-dovey about her online.
Recently, the two have prompted pregnancy rumours, with Jake sharing a video to his Instagram Stories following Jutta's gold medal win, seemingly addressing future children. In it, he says: “Hey litte kids, here's your parents. You guys are not even born yet but we are making a video for you. Your mom is about to go for gold. I just bought her flowers. Your mom is really cute. We love you, even though you're not born yet”.
Jake has shared before about how keen he is to have a family with Jutta, saying, “I'll be honest with you, I have such baby fever. I want kids so bad”. So, watch this space!
In the meantime, we hope Jutta is enjoying some well-deserved rest following her Olympic gold medal triumph.
