Jutta Leerdam has missed out on gold in the women’s 500m speed skating after finishing second behind her team-mate Femke Kok.
Leerdam, who is engaged to Jake Paul, has already tasted success at the Winter Olympics, setting an Olympic record and taking the title in the 1km event. However, she was beaten by her compatriot across the shorter distance.
The Dutch star’s gold was overshadowed by her snap she shared on social media, that had some fans…hot under the collar. The snap Leerdam posted shows the skater leaning back and praying to the skies while her blonde hair drapes down over her shoulders.
(Image: Getty)
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Leerdam thanked her family and friends after the win: “I’ve been supportive, but I’ve not been able to go to his [Paul’s] past fights because of skating. It would be nice to be there more,” she said.
“He has supported me a lot more and has come to many of my races, so I’m very grateful. Also, my family – I’m just so grateful for the support system around me. It’s amazing.”
Kok finished in silver in the kilo – and she admitted it was extra motivation to go one better in the 500m event. “I’m very motivated for the 500m now,” said the 25-year-old.
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“That was one of my best 1000s, so it gives me a lot of confidence for the 500m. It gives me a lot energy. I’m going to go and train really good and try to focus more on my speeds.”
However, Kok said there’s no bad blood between the pair: “To be on that podium together is amazing. The press often says, ‘Oh, Femke, Jutta’, this and that, but we really have a lot of respect for one another.
“We really challenge each other, put pressure on one another. We’re such a small country, but for the last five or six years we’ve been skating against each other.
“With the two of us, we’ve taken the level of sprinting in the Netherlands to the next level. It was a special moment that we can shine on the podium together.”