Jutta Leerdam

Jutta Leerdam is a successful Dutch athlete who specialises in long-distance speed skating. She was born on 30 December 1998 in ‘s-Gravenzande. The skater has enjoyed her greatest success in the 500m and 1,000m events. Leerdam is a media personality who is very active on social media.

Personal life

Jutta Monica Leerdam’s personal life is the subject of considerable public interest. The public wants to know whether she has Botox injections, and with whom and where she lives.

Relationships

Jutta is a strikingly attractive woman, so it’s only natural that she attracts a lot of male attention. She has been married before; her first marriage has now ended, and she is currently in a new relationship.

Jake Paul

The Dutch speed skater’s new partner is the American boxer and vlogger Jake Paul. In March 2025, he proposed to Jutta. In a recent interview, the boxer said that Leerdam would retire from speed skating after the 2026 Winter Olympics, as the couple are hoping to start a family. Does this mean that Jutta Leerdam is retiring from figure skating?

Jutta and her fiancé shared the news of their engagement with their army of Instagram followers. The photo they posted was captioned:

We’re engaged – can’t wait to be together forever.

Jutta received a piece of jewellery featuring an 8-carat oval-cut diamond, flanked in the centre by two crescent-shaped stones on either side. The total weight of the piece exceeds 10 carats, and the price of the ring is around 700,000 euros.

The couple have been together since 2023. The sportswoman is not yet pregnant, but this may happen in the very near future.

Ex

From 2017 to 2022, Jutta Leerdam was married to speed skater Koen Verweij. They separated after five years of marriage. This marriage was notable not only on a personal level, but also professionally.

During their time together, Jutta and Koen became close friends. In 2020, they co-founded a professional speed skating team called Worldstream. In doing so, the couple emphasised their shared commitment to the sport and their desire to support up-and-coming athletes.

Koen Verweij has already retired from professional sport; he competed in long-distance races and marathons, and is:

• the 2014 Olympic champion in the team pursuit;
• the 2014 silver medallist in the 1,500 metres.

Taking part in major competitions and sharing training schedules brought Jutta and Koen closer together. They were dubbed the most influential sporting couple in the Netherlands.

Gradually, a rift developed in their relationship; Jutta and Koen admitted that they were beginning to feel the strain of being constantly together. They were side by side practically round the clock: at training sessions, competitions and on trips together.

The decision to split up was made in mid-2022, and a public announcement was made in August 2022. Jutta and Koen decided to go their separate ways.

Leerdam later said that she would not want to enter into a relationship with a speed skater in the future. On a podcast, she admitted that it is difficult to combine love and work within the same field.

Family

Jutta Leerdam grew up in ’s-Gravenzande in South Holland, not far from The Hague. She is not her parents’ only child; she has a brother and two sisters.

The speed skater’s mother does not like being in the spotlight; Monique hardly ever posts photos of herself on Instagram. However, she often shares photos of her children in her Stories and considers herself Jutta’s most devoted fan as an athlete.

The speed skater offered her a touching Mother’s Day message, posting on Instagram:

Happy Mother’s Day to not only the sweetest, but also the strongest mum in the world. I’ve never spoken about this before, but my mum has beaten stage 3 oesophageal cancer. Mum, you’re my champion. You’ve been given a second chance, and I’m so glad you’re still here so we can make many more memories together. You are the very definition of a strong woman, my role model.

Jutta’s mother is now doing well; she had to undergo surgery to remove her oesophagus, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The athlete learnt of her mother’s diagnosis on the evening after qualifying for the 2023 World Championships.

As the disease had affected Monique’s lungs, she underwent radiotherapy and had her lymph nodes removed. She undergoes regular check-ups, and Jutta says she is incredibly proud of her, describing her mum as very strong and positive. It was only after learning of her illness that Leerdam realised how much time she had spent on sport at the expense of her family, which is the most important thing in her life. But it all turned out for the best.

Jutta and her sisters, Beaudine and Merel Leerdam, look very much alike. All three love eyeliner. Their brother Kjeld is more reserved, but the speed skater once shared a photo with him on a terrace on her Instagram page.

Net Worth

News about Jutta Leerdam appears regularly, including reports on her earnings. The athlete’s net worth stands at around $4.5–5 million.

Competing for the Jumbo-Visma team, she earns over 62,000 euros a month. On top of this, she receives prize money for top placings in tournaments.

The speed skater also earns a decent income through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, capitalising on her beauty and fame. Jutta, for example, is partnered with the energy drink brand Celsius, which brings substantial sums into her bank account.

Through Instagram, the most successful sports influencer in the Netherlands earns approximately €100,000 a month.

Jutta Leerdam is sponsored by KaFra Housing. In addition, the speed skater has collaborated with such well-known brands as Worldstream, Thinkwise, Red Bull, Kafra, Nike, Bolsius and Corendon.

Major fashion houses have also taken notice of this beautiful athlete. Jutta is the face of Dior’s sportswear range.

During Milan Fashion Week, she modelled for the BOSS fashion house on the catwalk.

Place of residence

Jutta Leerdam currently lives in Heerenveen, Friesland, where she owns a detached villa measuring 168 square metres, comprising two floors and an attic. The house has six rooms, including four bedrooms and a large open-plan kitchen. The villa is situated next to the Thialf speed skating arena, making it an ideal training base.

Jutta purchased this property together with her former husband, Verweij, from whom she separated in 2022. The villa is registered in her name; she bought it with a mortgage.

As well as her home in Heerenveen, Leerdam spends a lot of time in Puerto Rico, where her fiancé, the American boxer Jake Paul, lives. The speed skater’s fiancé owns a $16 million villa with a swimming pool, a six-car garage, a guest house, a playground and a golf course.

Career

As a young girl, Jutta Leerdam was actively involved in several sports, including ice hockey, but eventually chose speed skating. She began skating in Pajnaker and often trained at Whithof in The Hague. Her talent did not go unnoticed, and she was selected for the Zuid-Holland squad, where the foundations for her subsequent professional career were laid.

In 2017, Leerdam made her debut at the World Championships, where she won gold – including in the team sprint – and two bronze medals.

In 2019, she began competing in senior events and became world champion in the women’s team sprint as part of the Dutch team.

In 2020, Jutta Leerdam claimed victory at the two biggest events over the 1,000-metre distance. At the European Championships on home soil in Heerenveen, she took the gold medal with a time of 1:13.67, whilst at the World Championships in Salt Lake City she triumphed in her signature distance, crossing the finish line with a new Dutch national record (1:11.84).

In 2021, Leerdam did not compete in the World Cup due to a leg injury.

In 2022, she missed the World Cup in Heerenveen due to the pandemic and left Worldstream to join Team Jumbo-Visma.

In 2023, she won the gold medal in the sprint at the European Championships.

In 2024, she took gold in the 1,000-metre race at the European Speed Skating Championships and finished second in the 500-metre race.

In 2025, Leerdam confirmed her status as one of the world’s strongest sprinters. At the World Single Distance Championships in Hamar, she won the gold medal in the 1,000 metres, once again becoming world champion in her signature event.

In 2026, she achieved the greatest success of her career by becoming Olympic champion in the 1,000 metres at the Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina. She also won a silver medal in the 500-metre race, adding a second individual medal to her Olympic collection. During the same season, Leerdam continued to perform successfully in the World Cup events, regularly finishing in the top three in the 500- and 1,000-metre races and maintaining her place among the world’s leading speed skaters.

Gerard Van Velde is Jutta Leerdam’s personal coach; her career began under his guidance at the Reggeborg club. Club coach Kostya Poltavets has also worked with her.

Skating style and training

Jutta Leerdam’s technique is a combination of power and precision, which enables her to reach high speeds whilst maintaining her form. She is able to maintain her speed on straight legs and assume the aerodynamic position.

Her training programme includes strength training, inline skating/road cycling, cycling sessions, interval training, and, crucially, recovery and sleep.

Leerdam periodically trains with the international Novus team alongside other sprinters, such as Dione Voskamp and Naomi Verkerk.

Statistics

Jutta Leerdam has won the following titles:

World Champion in the 500-metre and 1,000-metre sprints (2022).

World Champion in the 1,000-metre singles (2020, 2023, 2025).

Silver medallist in the 1,000 metres at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Silver medallist in the 500-metre event at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan–Cortina (2026).

European champion in the 1,000-metre event (2020, 2024).

Olympic achievements and records – Milan 2026

1. Gold medal in the 1000 m. Leerdam won gold in the 1000 metres at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina and set a new Olympic record with a time of 1:12.31.
2. Silver in the 500 m. In the 500 metres, she won the silver medal with a time of 37.15 seconds, finishing behind only her compatriot Femke Kok, who set an Olympic record.

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

Frequently Asked Questions