Jake Paul supports fiancée Jutta Leerdam despite Olympic Trials fall

Boxer Jake Paul sent his fiancée, speed skater Jutta Leerdam, a heartfelt note of encouragement following her crash out during the Olympic Trials and sobbed as she exited the rink.

According to Olympics.com, the event happened on Friday, December 26, at the Olympic Trials in Heerenveen, Netherlands. On the second bend of the 1000-meter trial, Leerdam, 26, lost her balance and fell to the ice, colliding with the boards. She appeared visibly moved as she exited the ring.

In a message posted on his Instagram Stories, Paul, 28, who attended the trials and saw the event from the sidelines, expressed his support for Leerdam on December 28, Sunday.

The social media celebrity who is now a professional boxer posted a video of Leerdam skating in the arena, writing, “So proud of you, warrior @juttaleerdam,” over the video.

However, Leerdam, who won the silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, may or may not be eligible to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

The speed skater claimed that she is in doubt about how and why the decline occurred.

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

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

In fact, the Selection Committee, which selects athletes based on their medal prospects, will decide Leerdam’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics. In this regard, Leerdam said that while making a decision to select athletes for the Olympics, she expects the committee will consider her whole season under scrutiny.

“I’ve won the past World Cups. I’ve always finished at least in the top two at the world level … I really want to win that medal for the Netherlands … I hope they’ll look at my level, including today. How I rode before I fell. And the growth I’m making,” she further added to  Schaatsen.nl.

It is pertinent to take into account that Jake Paul and Leerdam publicly announced their relationship in April 2023 through an Instagram posting of pictures of him posing next to her on IG.