Jutta Leerdam’s Olympic hopes on the brink

Dutch women’s speed skating hopeful Jutta Leerdam made her return in the 500 meters on Sunday as she hopes to make the Olympic team for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

Leerdam finished in second place behind Femke Kok in the race. Kok, who set the world record for the women’s 500 meters in November, had a time of 36.873. Leerdam finished with a time of 37.242.

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It was a much better result than Friday’s result.

Leerdam, who is boxer Jake Paul’s fiancee, crashed and fell on the ice during the 1,000 meter event. She was seen in tears as she skated off the ice.

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Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands looks dejected as she competes in the women’s 500m on day 1 of the Dutch speed skating qualifications at Thialf on December 26, 2025 in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. (Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

“I skate so well in practice. What those girls are skating here, I could easily have skated today,” she said, via Olympics.com. “I’ve skated 1:14 here 25 times and I feel even better now than I have in the last two years. I’m really hitting it.”

There is still hope that Leerdam can qualify for the Olympics, as the national committee will ultimately make the decision on whether Leerdam will make it.

Leerdam won a silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Games in the 1,000-meter race. She finished just behind Japan’s Miho Takagi, who set an Olympic record time.

Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands receives the gold medal for the women’s 1000m during the ISU Speed ​​Skating World Cup at the Utah Olympic Oval on November 14, 2025. (Peter Creveling/Imagn Images)

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She skipped the 2025 ISU World Speed ​​Skating Championships in Hamar, Norway, to focus on Olympic trials.