Jake Paul rushes to support fiancée Jutta Leerdam after Olympic trials crash

Jake Paul has shared a public message of support for his fiancée, Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam, after she crashed during Olympic trials and left the rink in tears.

The incident occurred during the Olympic Trials in Heerenveen in the Netherlands on Friday, December 26. Leerdam lost her balance on the second bend of the 1,000-metre race, sliding across the ice before crashing into the boards.

The 26-year-old, who won a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, appeared visibly emotional as she exited the rink, with her qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics now uncertain.

Paul, who was in attendance and watched from the sidelines, later posted a supportive message on Instagram Stories. Sharing a clip of Leerdam skating inside the arena, he wrote: “So proud of you warrior,” alongside her name.

Leerdam said she was unsure what caused the fall.

“I don’t know if there was anything on the ice, but it felt like I was standing on something. I completely slid,” she told Dutch outlet Schaatsen.nl.

She added that the crash was particularly frustrating given her recent form.

“I’ve been riding so well in practice. What those girls are riding here, I could have easily ridden today. This is truly the most frustrating moment for this to happen, because I almost never fall,” she said.

Leerdam’s place at the 2026 Winter Olympics will now depend on a decision by the national selection committee, which considers medal prospects when selecting athletes. She has said she hopes the panel will take her entire season into account.

“I’ve won the past World Cups. I’ve always finished at least in the top two at the world level,” she said. “I really want to win that medal for the Netherlands. I hope they’ll look at my level, including how I rode before I fell and the growth I’m making.”

Paul and Leerdam made their relationship public in April 2023 and announced their engagement in March this year. Paul has previously said proposing made him more nervous than any of his boxing matches.