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Jutta Leerdam was in the middle of an interview after winning a speedskating gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday when she looked up to see her fiancé, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, walking over.
She interrupted an answer to say, “Hi, babe!” and leaned in for a kiss as Paul put his hands on her shoulders.
A moment later, Paul headed for an arena exit with multiple bodyguards and someone filming his every move for a documentary. Paul wore a scarf with the orange color of the Dutch team as he watched from a second-row seat while Leerdam finished first in the women’s 1,000 meters for her first Olympic gold.
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“Man, words can’t even describe it. It’s the greatest feeling (of) anything I’ve ever witnessed, to be honest,” Paul told The Associated Press. “Just the amount of hard work that goes into it. Like 99.9% of people will never understand. And she pulled it off, under the most amount of pressure ever.”
During the race, Paul was the very picture of focus, alternating between clapping and wringing his hands while standing to watch Leerdam compete.
“He knows the pressure I felt, and the buildup and everything. He’s just felt everything with me,” Leerdam said. “He is definitely emotionally involved.”
When she was done and had won, she went over to the sideboards in front of where Paul was and paused, crying. She blew a kiss and made a heart shape with her hands while looking up toward Paul.
Leerdam collected a silver in the 1,000 four years ago at the Beijing Games and owns a pair of world titles at that distance. She also won three of the four World Cup 1,000-meter races she entered this season. She raced in the last of 15 heats on Monday.
Separately, Leerdam and Paul draw big crowds to their social media sites — her Instagram page has about 5 million followers; his has more than 28 million. Together, they draw a lot of eyeballs and interest.
Leerdam and Paul posted news about their engagement on Instagram in March.
Paul is not shy about offering his opinions on all manner of matters, and he has been critical on social media in recent days about American Olympians expressing their opinions about what is going on back in their country at the moment. He also sent a series of posts to X about Puerto Rico music star Bad Bunny’s appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show, including: “Turn off this halftime. A fake American performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that.”
That drew a rebuke on social media from his brother, Logan, who wrote: “I love my brother, but I don’t agree with this. Puerto Ricans are Americans & I’m happy they were allowed to showcase the talent that comes from the island.”
Later, Jake Paul posted again to say that he lives in Puerto Rico and he agreed with Bad Bunny’s sentiment that “love is more powerful than hate.” But he added that he thinks voicing criticism of the U.S. is “being a fake citizen.”
His bodyguards ended the interview with the AP before Paul could be asked about those topics on Monday.
Earlier at these Olympics, Paul sat with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at a women’s hockey game that the United States won 5-0 against Finland.
Leerdam is a 27-year-old Dutch athlete who is also scheduled to participate in the 500 meters next Sunday.
Her trophy collection includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 in 2020 and 2023.
Now she has an Olympic gold, too.
Paul is a 29-year-old American influencer who first gained fame for his YouTube videos and then made his way into the world of boxing about five years ago.
He most recently had his jaw broken during a sixth-round knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami in December.
Paul has also gone up against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024, plus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., retired UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Nate Díaz, and former NBA player Nate Robinson.
As he left Monday’s venue, he pointed out that it was harder “to sit there, for sure,” watching Leerdam than to enter the ring himself.
On the ice, Jutta Leerdam is an Olympic medalist speedskater for the Netherlands who is entered in the 500 and 1,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Off the ice, Leerdam gets a lot of attention for her engagement to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul — who is also at these Olympics, but as a spectator.
Separately, Leerdam and Paul have big followings on social media. Together, they draw a lot of eyeballs and interest, and he is expected to attend her events in Milan.
Leerdam did not race at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on Saturday; she will start competing next week. Paul was spotted on Saturday, though, at another venue, sitting and chatting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance as the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Finland 5-0.
Who is Olympic speedskater Jutta Leerdam?
Leerdam is a 27-year-old Dutch athlete who took home a silver medal in the 1,000 meters from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She also took part in the 500 four years ago, coming in fifth place.
Leerdam’s trophy collection includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 in 2020 and 2023.
She has about 5 million followers on Instagram.
When will Jutta Leerdam compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics?
The first event for Leerdam in Milan will be on Monday in the 1,000 meters.
She isthen scheduled to race again on Feb. 15 in the 500, in which American Erin Jackson is the reigning Olympic champion.
Leerdam is considered a medal contender in both events.
Who is Jake Paul, Jutta Leerdam’s fiancé?
Paul is a 29-year-old American influencer who first gained fame for his YouTube videos and then made his way into the world of boxing about five years ago.
He most recently had his jaw broken during a sixth-round knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami in December.
Paul has also gone up against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024, plus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., retired UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Nate Díaz, and former NBA player Nate Robinson.
When did Jutta Leerdam and Jake Paul get engaged?
Leerdam and Paul posted news about their engagement on Instagram in March.
On the same day Amber Glenn won Olympic gold as part of the team event and stepped away from social media due to backlash over her comments on politics and the LGBTQ+ community, the American figure skater ended up with another headache.
Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, who produces music under the name CLANN, took to social media late Sunday to object to the use of his song “The Return,” which Glenn had used in her free skate — and has been using for the past two years without issue.
“So just found out an Olympic figure skater used one of my songs without permission for their routine. It aired all over the world ... what? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?” McKinnon posted to X shortly after the team competition had ended.
Figure skaters are required to obtain permission for the music they use, but that process is hardly straightforward.
Sometimes the label or record producer owns the copyright, other times the artist themselves, and often there are multiple parties involved. Skaters sometimes will piece together different cuts of music, too. Throw in third-party companies such as ClicknClear that try to smooth out the permission process, and the entire copyright issue becomes murky and nuanced.
According to McKinnon, “The deal I have with my label is that I alone can give the OK to license my music.” McKinnon later said that he’d be looking into the situation, but did congratulate Glenn: “And plus she won Gold??? Huge congratz,” he posted.
Glenn was not available for comment on the music issue on Monday. She planned to take the day off from training and then depart Milan to practice elsewhere ahead of the individual women’s event, which begins Feb. 17 with the short program.
Messages left by The Associated Press with U.S. Figure Skating about Glenn’s copyright problem were not returned.
The issue is not the first bit of controversy involving Glenn at the Milan Cortina Games.
The outspoken LGBTQ+ rights activist said she received threats on social media after saying during a pre-Olympics press conference that the queer community is going through a “hard time” amid the political climate under President Donald Trump.
“I was disappointed because I’ve never had so many people wish me harm before, just for being me and speaking about being decent — human rights and decency,” Glenn said Sunday night, wearing an LGBTQ+ pin on her team jacket during the team medal ceremony.
“So that was really disappointing,” Glenn added, “and I do think it kind of lowered that excitement for this.”
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Copyrights never used to be a problem in figure skating because the International Skating Union barred any music involving vocals, and most classical music is considered public domain. But when those rules were relaxed in 2014, and modern music began to be used, artists soon demanded that they receive compensation for their work.
It all came to a head at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, when one of the indie artists who covered “House of the Rising Sun” objected to its use by American pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier. The ensuing lawsuit prompted the ISU to step in and try to develop systems that would help skaters avoid copyright infringement claims.
“It’s never been an issue, and then suddenly it is, and I don’t understand why,” Glenn told the AP ahead of the Winter Games. “I understand there was a big upset at the last Olympics because some artist — I’m sorry, they decided to be (jerks). Like, they couldn’t just appreciate this Olympic team competing? It wasn’t even their song to begin with; it was a cover.
“It’s not like we’re a TV show and playing music in the background for an emotional scene. It just feels like a cash grab for different companies, and it’s really upsetting that they can’t just appreciate that their music has inspired something creative.”
Justin Dillon, the director of high performance for U.S. Figure Skating, said the governing body has tried to help its skaters avoid any copyright claims. It is unclear whether the organization played any role in getting Glenn’s music approved.
Numerous fans and even fellow skaters have been quick to rush to the American’s defense.
“I’d be so honored that someone wants to skate to my music and give the music some amazing exposure,” said retired Canadian pairs skater Meagan Duhamel, a two-time Olympian and three-time medalist. “I used a piece of music for the 2018 Olympics, and the artist was so excited she flew to the Olympics to listen and watch it live.”
After Nathan Chen won gold at the Beijing Games with a free skate set to “Rocket Man,” Elton John effusively praised the American for his performance. Chen later collaborated with the musical legend for a music video to a version of “Hold Me Closer.”
“We really rely on our music,” said Alysa Liu, part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team. “Without music, we’re not really our sport.”
Handle with care. That’s the message from gold medalist Breezy Johnson at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after she and other athletes found their medals broken within hours.
Olympic organizers are investigating with “maximum attention” after a spate of medals have fallen off their ribbons during celebrations on the opening weekend of the Games.
“Don’t jump in them. I was jumping in excitement, and it broke,” women’s downhill ski gold medalist Johnson said after her win Sunday. “I’m sure somebody will fix it. It’s not crazy broken, but a little broken.”
TV footage broadcast in Germany captured the moment biathlete Justus Strelow realized the mixed relay bronze he’d won Sunday had fallen off the ribbon around his neck and clattered to the floor as he danced along to a song with teammates.
His German teammates cheered as Strelow tried without success to reattach the medal before realizing a smaller piece, seemingly the clasp, had broken off and was still on the floor.
U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu posted a clip on social media of her team event gold medal, detached from its official ribbon.
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“My medal don’t need the ribbon,” Liu wrote early Monday.
Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, said it was working on a solution.
“We are aware of the situation, we have seen the images. Obviously, we are trying to understand in detail if there is a problem,” Francisi said Monday.
“But obviously we are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that obviously in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect, because we really consider it to be the most important moment. So we are working on it.”
It isn’t the first time the quality of Olympic medals has come under scrutiny.
Following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, some medals had to be replaced after athletes complained they were starting to tarnish or corrode, giving them a mottled look likened to crocodile skin.
The **2026 Winter Olympics** (Milano Cortina 2026) are currently underway, running from February 6 to 22, 2026, in northern Italy, primarily hosted in Milan (ice events) and Cortina d'Ampezzo (snow events), with additional clusters in Valtellina and Val di Fiemme.
As of February 10, 2026 (early in the Games, around Day 4), several events have concluded, with 18 of 116 total medal events completed.
Current Medal Table (Top 10, as of latest updates around February 9-10, 2026)
The table is ordered by gold medals (standard Olympic ranking), then silver, then bronze.
- **Norway**: 3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze (total 6)
- **Switzerland**: 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (total 5)
- **Japan**: 2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze (total 7)
- **Germany**: 2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (total 4)
- **United States**: 2 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze (total 2)
- **Austria**: 1 gold, 3 silver, 0 bronze (total 4)
- **Italy** (host nation): 1 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze (total 9)
- **Czechia**: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze (total 2)
- **France**: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze (total 2)
- **Netherlands**: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze (total 2)
Italy leads in overall medals (thanks to strong bronze hauls), while Norway and Switzerland top the golds.
Key Recent Highlights and Results (from February 9, Day 3)
Five gold medals were awarded on February 9:
- **Freestyle Skiing – Women's Slopestyle**: Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland) successfully defended her title for gold (back-to-back Olympic champion). Eileen Gu (USA/China) took silver in this event.
- **Snowboarding – Women's Big Air**: Kokomo Murase (Japan) won gold on her final run, edging Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (New Zealand, silver—her historic fourth Olympic medal) and Yu Seung-Eun (Korea, bronze).
- **Alpine Skiing – Team Combined**: Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen (who also won men's downhill earlier) teamed up for gold in this mixed event.
- **Speed Skating – Women's 1000m**: Jutta Leerdam (Netherlands) set a new Olympic record (1:12.31) for gold.
- **Other notes**: In figure skating ice dance rhythm dance, France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron led, with USA's Madison Chock and Evan Bates in second (free dance on February 11).
Other Notable Recent Results
- **Women's Ice Hockey**: USA dominated with a 5-0 win over Switzerland (Caroline Harvey had three points), staying undefeated ahead of a key matchup with Canada. Earlier wins included 5-0 over Finland and 5-1 over Czechia.
- **Mixed Doubles Curling**: USA's Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse upset defending champions Italy in semifinals; they face Sweden for gold on February 10.
- Earlier in the Games: USA won gold in figure skating team event (Ilia Malinin's strong free skate helped secure it over Japan). Breezy Johnson (USA) won women's alpine downhill gold.
For today's events (February 10), check ongoing competitions like men's normal hill ski jumping, more ice hockey prelims (e.g., Canada vs. Czechia results noted as 5-1 in some groups), and curling semifinals.
For the most up-to-date live results, medal tables, and schedules, visit official sources like olympics.com or nbcolympics.com, as events continue daily through February 22.
Jake Paul was overcome with emotion, breaking down in tears as his fiancée Jutta Leerdam captured Olympic gold.pic.twitter.com/CiVEptDyDT
— Hope (@MrMakiri) February 9, 2026
Pure emotie na olympisch goud 🥇🤎
— Soofslab 🩷🧪🔬 (@Soofslab) February 9, 2026
Jutta Leerdam deelt een intiem moment met haar familie — trots, liefde en alles waar topsport om draait. Dit is waarom de Olympische Spelen zo bijzonder zijn.
👏🇳🇱@juttaleerdam115#TeamNL #Olympics #MilanoCortina2026 #Gold #Family #OranjeHart pic.twitter.com/xkId4K8A3t