Jake Paul's Fiancee Jutta Leerdam In Doubt for 2026 Olympics After Crash in Trials

Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam's quest to get back to the Winter Olympics hit a major speed bump on Friday.

During the Dutch Olympic Trials, Leerdam crashed on the second bend in the 1000-meter final and was unable to finish the race.

Femke Kok and Suzanne Schulting punched their tickets to Milano Cortina by finishing first and second, respectively.

Lena Smirnova of Olympics.com pointed out there is still a chance that Leerdam could be added to the Netherlands' team by the national selection committee. A decision is expected to be made on either Jan. 1 or 4.

Leerdam, who is engaged to Jake Paul, was part of the Dutch team at the 2022 Games in Beijing. She won silver in the 1000 meters, finishing behind Japan's Miho Takagi and ahead of America's Brittany Bowe.

After the race, Leerdam expressed optimism that her season-long resume would be good enough to get her a spot in the Olympics.

"I've won the past World Cups. I've always been at least in the top two at the world level," Leerdam said (h/t Smirnova). "I hope they'll look at my level, including today, how I was skating before I fell, and the growth I'm making."

She is also set to compete in the 500 meters at the Dutch Olympic trials, which are running through Dec. 30.

Leerdam has won two 1000-meter races during the 2025-26 World Cup season, with her most recent victory coming on Dec. 5 by finishing ahead of Takagi. She is fourth in the women's 1000-meter World Cup point standings, behind Kok, Marrit Fledderus and Bowe.