Jutta Leerdam, the Dutch speed skater, already had “12 world championship medals, with six golds,” the Associated Press wrote. “Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 — in 2020 and 2023.” On Friday, December 26, 2025, the Dutch Olympic trials at Thialf began dramatically for her, NOS reported: in the 1000 m, her favorite distance, she fell. After a good opening, she slid hard out of the inner turn, and she left the ice in tears.
She still had the 500 m to come, NOS noted, so she could still qualify on her own. Two days later, the ANP agency reported on NOS, she skated the second-fastest time in the 500 m, and her ticket for the Winter Games was as good as secured. Her knee, she said, was completely blue. But the 1000 m was of course her best distance, she said, and she hoped they would still look at that.
The Dutch skating federation, the KNSB, could hand out up to three discretionary places for the men and three for the women, NOS explained. On New Year’s Day, 2026, as expected, it gave her one in the 1000 m. Its technical director, Remy de Wit, said she had dominated the distance internationally for the past two years, lately alongside a teammate, and that the federation saw her as a medal candidate and a big contender for gold. The skater who had finished third in the trials 1000 m, in 1:14.74, was left out, the ANP reported, and that let Leerdam skate it. Weeks of what Sporza called commotion and controversy followed.
On Monday, February 9, 2026, the women’s 1000 m was skated at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, “the temporary arena built for these Olympics,” as the AP called it. Two heats earlier, the AP reported, “her talented Dutch teammate … had bettered the event’s existing Winter Games record,” with “a sensational Olympic record of 1 minute and 12.59s,” in the International Skating Union’s words. Then Leerdam, the AP wrote, “was up against defending champion Miho Takagi of Japan in the day’s final heat.” “Leerdam stopped the clock at 1 minute and 12.31s,” the ISU wrote; she “managed to skate 0.28s faster.” “Takagi wound up with the bronze this time,” the AP said, and “Leerdam lowered that mark even further.”
“I knew that if during the race I would feel tired, I wasn’t allowed to feel tired,” she told the ISU. “I told myself: ‘You have 80 years to recover from this, you can feel tired after. You don’t want to live with that regret. You fought so hard for this’.” In the stands, Sporza reported, her fiancé couldn’t hold back his tears either. After the race, she told Sporza she had proven how strong she is mentally, despite everything made up about her and posted online.
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- She was the favorite at the Dutch Olympic trials, but she fell. NOS (December 26, 2025), headline: “Favoriet Leerdam onderuit op 1.000 meter”; “Voor Jutta Leerdam is het olympisch kwalificatietoernooi in Thialf op een dramatische manier begonnen. Ze kwam vrijdag op de 1.000 meter, haar favoriete afstand, ten val.” (In English: Favorite Leerdam down in the 1,000 meters; the Olympic qualifying tournament in Thialf began dramatically for Jutta Leerdam: on Friday she fell in the 1,000 meters, her favorite distance.) 1
- Her name is Jutta Leerdam. The Associated Press: “Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam.” 6
- Her race was the 1000 meters, with two world titles. The Associated Press: “Her trophy case already includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 — in 2020 and 2023.” 6
- After a good start, she slid out in a turn. NOS (Friday, December 26, 2025): “Na een goede opening gleed ze in de binnenbocht hard onderuit.” (In English: after a good opening, she slid hard out of the inner turn.) 1
- She left the ice in tears. NOS: “Ze verliet in tranen het ijs.” (In English: she left the ice in tears.) 1
- Her next race was the 500 meters. NOS: “Leerdam komt later dit Staatsloterij OKT ook nog in actie op de 500 meter en kan zich dus nog altijd op eigen kracht plaatsen.” (In English: later in these trials Leerdam still races the 500 meters, so she can still qualify on her own.) 1
- Just two days later, with a bruised knee, she finished second. ANP, on NOS (December 28, 2025): “Jutta Leerdam verliet twee dagen geleden … in tranen het ijs”; “met de tweede tijd op de 500 meter.” Leerdam: “Mijn knie was helemaal blauw.” (In English: two days ago, Jutta Leerdam left the ice in tears; with the second time in the 500 meters; “My knee was completely blue.”) 2
- She made the team, but not in her best race. ANP, on NOS: “heeft ze haar ticket voor de Winterspelen zo goed als binnen.” Leerdam: “De 1.000 is natuurlijk mijn beste afstand. Ik hoop dat ze daar nog naar willen kijken.” (In English: her ticket for the Winter Games is as good as secured; “The 1,000 is of course my best distance. I hope they will still look at that.”) 2
- On New Year’s Day, the federation gave it back. NOS (Thursday, January 1, 2026): “Jutta Leerdam heeft naar verwachting een aanwijsplek gekregen op de 1.000 meter.” (In English: as expected, Jutta Leerdam has been given a discretionary place in the 1,000 meters.) NOS (December 30, 2025): the KNSB selection committee “heeft maximaal drie aanwijsplekken voor de mannen en drie voor de vrouwen” (has at most three discretionary places for the men and three for the women). 43
- It called her a big contender for gold. KNSB technical director Remy de Wit, to NOS: “We wijzen haar aan omdat zij de afgelopen twee jaar … internationaal domineerde op deze afstand en door ons wordt beschouwd als een medaillekandidaat en een grote kanshebber op goud.” (In English: we are selecting her because over the past two years she … dominated this distance internationally and is regarded by us as a medal candidate and a big contender for gold.) 4
- A teammate who finished third stayed home. NOS (December 26, 2025), on the trials 1000 m: “… werd met 1.14,74 derde.” (In English: … was third in 1:14.74.) ANP (January 1, 2026): “Jutta Leerdam kan door het afvallen van … deelnemen aan de 1000 meter.” (In English: Jutta Leerdam can skate the 1000 meters because … was dropped.) 15
- Then came weeks of criticism. Sporza: “Na alle commotie en controverse”; “Zo geeft Leerdam de critici lik op stuk”; “Alsof alle zwartgalligheid van de voorbije weken in één beweging van haar afgleed.” (In English: after all the commotion and controversy; that is how Leerdam answers the critics; as if all the bitterness of the past weeks slid off her in one movement.) Leerdam, to Sporza: “Ik heb bewezen hoe sterk ik mentaal ben, ondanks alles wat over me verzonnen wordt en online verschijnt.” (In English: I have proven how strong I am mentally, despite everything that is made up about me and posted online.) Sporza (February 7, 2026): the Dutch sports press association called her refusal of interviews “onacceptabel” (unacceptable). 8911
- Minutes before her race, a teammate set an Olympic record. The Associated Press (its photo caption: “at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026”): “her talented Dutch teammate … had bettered the event’s existing Winter Games record two heats earlier Monday.” ISU: “After … skated a sensational Olympic record of 1 minute and 12.59s.” Sporza: “enkele minuten eerder” (a few minutes earlier). 679
- In the last pair, she faced Japan’s defending champion. The Associated Press: “who was up against defending champion Miho Takagi of Japan in the day’s final heat.” ISU: “in the final pairing versus Miho Takagi (JPN).” 67
- She beat the record by 28 hundredths, and won gold. ISU: “Leerdam managed to skate 0.28s faster”; “Leerdam stopped the clock at 1 minute and 12.31s.” The Associated Press: “won in 1 minute, 12.31 seconds.” Sporza: “Een olympisch record. Zowaar nog 28 honderdsten sneller.” (In English: An Olympic record. And 28 hundredths faster still.) 769
- Her fiancé cried in the stands. NBC Chicago (AP text), headline: “… cries from stands after fiancée Jutta Leerdam wins gold in speedskating.” Sporza: “terwijl in de tribune ook haar verloofde … het niet droog hield.” (In English: while in the stands her fiancé … couldn’t hold back his tears either.) 1210
- “You fought so hard for this,” she had told herself. Leerdam, to the ISU: “I knew that if during the race I would feel tired, I wasn’t allowed to feel tired. I told myself: ‘You have 80 years to recover from this, you can feel tired after. You don’t want to live with that regret. You fought so hard for this’.” 7
Sources
- Report on the women’s 1000 m at the Dutch Olympic trials, in Dutch (December 26, 2025) NOS
- Leerdam herpakt zich na zware dagen op OKT: ‘Wil niet in slachtofferrol zitten’ (in Dutch, December 28, 2025) ANP, on NOS
- Matrix is gevuld, maar wat doet KNSB met aanwijsplekken? (in Dutch, December 30, 2025) NOS
- Olympische schaatsploeg definitief: Prins niet naar Milaan, Nuis rijdt toch 1.500 meter (in Dutch, January 1, 2026) NOS
- Report on the Dutch Olympic speed skating team selection, in Dutch (January 1, 2026) ANP, on nieuws.nl
- Report on Jutta Leerdam’s Olympic 1000 m gold (February 9, 2026) The Associated Press, on TSN
- Leerdam defies the pressure to make her Olympic dream come true International Skating Union
- Jutta Leerdam doet het! … schudt commotie van zich af met GOUD (in Dutch) Sporza (VRT)
- Drang naar groen en 80 jaar herstel stuwen Jutta Leerdam naar goud (in Dutch, February 9, 2026) Sporza (VRT)
- Report on Jutta Leerdam’s gold and the celebrations afterward, in Dutch (February 9, 2026) Sporza (VRT)
- Op Instagram deelt ze elk moment, maar pers krijgt Jutta Leerdam moeilijk beet (in Dutch, February 7, 2026) Sporza (VRT)
- Report on the reaction in the stands to Jutta Leerdam’s gold (AP text) NBC Chicago
- Speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Women’s 1000 metres Wikipedia
Notes
The way back: there was no rule that a skater who falls at the trials must stay home, as a popular retelling has it. The Dutch skating federation, the KNSB, keeps up to three discretionary places per gender (NOS), and on the day of the fall NOS wrote that there was a fair chance it would still select her. She earned her place on the team with her second place in the 500 m (her ticket, NOS wrote, was as good as secured), and on January 1, 2026, the selection committee gave her a discretionary place in the 1000 m; the skater who had been third in the trials 1000 m was left out (NOS, ANP). It was not a skate-off, and no teammate gave up a place. The Short says only that “the federation gave it back” and that “a teammate who finished third stayed home.”
The criticism: we found no reliable source quoting anyone saying she “stole” a teammate’s place, as a popular retelling claims. The criticism we could source came from the press (Sporza reported that the Dutch sports press association called her refusal of interviews before her first race at the Games “onacceptabel,” unacceptable) and online (her own words, to Sporza). The Short says only “weeks of criticism.”
Dates: the fall was on December 26, 2025, and the gold on February 9, 2026, about six and a half weeks later. Which turn: NOS says the inner turn; other outlets say the second turn. The Short says “a turn.”
The record: the Associated Press says her teammate set it “two heats earlier,” the ISU “the second last pair,” and Sporza “enkele minuten eerder” (a few minutes earlier). The Short says “minutes before her race.”
The venue: the race was at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium at Fiera Milano (Wikipedia, citing the Olympics.com schedule); the AP calls it “the temporary arena built for these Olympics.” The photographer’s captions on Wikimedia Commons call it the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Languages: the quotes from NOS, ANP and Sporza are in Dutch, and the English after them is our translation. The only line the Short quotes, “You fought so hard for this,” is her own English, as the ISU reports it.
Jutta Leerdam is alive. Only race results, the team selection, major outlets’ reporting and her own published words (including her bruised knee after the fall) are used; nothing about her private life. Her teammates aren’t named, and her fiancé appears only as the Short shows him, in one line. Miho Takagi is named only as her opponent in the last pair and the bronze medalist.
Pictures: no free photo shows the trials fall, the trials races or the winning race; every picture of those moments we found is agency, broadcast or federation work, or a TV still, so none is used. The only free photo of Jutta Leerdam shows her just after her winning 1000 m in Milan on February 9, 2026, looking up with her hands together (YantsImages, WikiPortraits). Miho Takagi is seen with the Japanese flag after the same last pair (YantsImages; the Commons file name also names Leerdam, but only Takagi is in the frame). The Milano Speed Skating Stadium is seen during the 2026 Games in a spectator’s photo, not during the race (Olimpico2). The trials lines show Thialf in Heerenveen on other days: during the Dutch allround championships on December 28, 2008 (Kliek), fans at the 2010 World Championships (Daan Berg), the old rink’s ice, a turn with crash pads and the THIALF seat letters on March 26, 2012 (two photos by Sk@te), and the rebuilt stadium’s empty seats and its name sign on June 22, 2019 (two photos by Olaf Janssen). The clap skates are a generic pair photographed in 2008, not hers (Ardo191).
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
The photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain or shared under open licenses; each one is credited below with its license. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its Wikimedia Commons page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Schumann, Kinderszenen, Op. 15: No. 1 'Of Foreign Lands and Peoples (Musopen, public domain); Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition: IV. Bydlo (piano) (Musopen, public domain); Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 'From the New World': II. Largo (Musopen, public domain).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
