6 things about Jutta Leerdam you probably don't know yet
I was glued to the TV yesterday, along with 3.9 million others. With my heart rate somewhere between healthy and unhealthy. As if I had to ride the 1,000 metres myself. And when I wasn't vicariously nervous, I looked at my phone. Where Jutta Leerdam meanwhile took over the internet. Millions of likes and posts forwarded endlessly. And really everyone has an opinion. By now we think we know everything about her, but do we?
1. Hockey star
Before she dominated the ice, she was young on the hockey field and in the gymnasium. Just, a sporty Dutch girl with a long ponytail. Until long track speed skating came her way at 11 and everything changed.
2. Team family
Olympic gold is not something you win alone. Her parents stand by default in the corners of the track. Even in full concentration, she can still hear their voices above the cheering crowd. This is how she told her followers: ‘’One thing about me: my parents are coming with me.’’ I could watch in excitement then yesterday, but her father knew for sure eight years ago: ‘’Gold in the thousand, write it down.’’ Then her sisters: Jutta comes from a close-knit family and is the middle of three daughters. On social media, Merel and Beaudine regularly pop by, and it always looks equally cosy. Thus, for Jutta, family does not seem like an afterthought, but really her foundation.
3. Jutta's great love
Soon, Jake Paul will also officially become part of the family. The giant ring on Jutta's finger makes this hard to miss. The relationship received international attention: from US headlines to packed comment sections. But before that love there was another, and we haven't forgotten: Koen Verweij. He is a former top speed skater and was once Jutta's teammate. The two lived together in Heerenveen, right in the middle of skating life. And just in case you think there is old pain there: Verweij recently let it be known that he sincerely hoped she was going to take gold. So that five-year relationship ended, but her career continued. And that so fits my image of Jutta: whatever happens, her focus remains on the ice.
4. Towering and proud
Modelling agencies may actually be lucky that Jutta chose the skating rink and not the catwalk. With her 1.82 metres, she might as well have made a career there. And probably caused arguments over who got to represent her too. Still, her height was not always just a plus. She used to find it quite difficult to stick out above everything. But when she found out she couldn't change it anyway, that completely turned around. She completely embraces it: “I just still put on heels and I like it.”
5. Beauty and the brains
Jutta not only has model legs and long blonde locks, she also knows what it is like to hang over books for long evenings. After her havo, she started studying commercial economics. She indicated earlier that she consciously wanted something besides skating, to avoid living entirely in that sports bubble. And that study now seems to be paying off handsomely. She works with all kinds of big international brands such as Celsius or Nike x Skims.
6. The distinctive look
When you see Jutta at a glance, her eyes immediately stand out. They stand out because of their colour and the thick winged eyeliner she wears. Jutta considers her eyes one of the most beautiful things about herself she said in a Q&A. There is a reason her eyeliner is always so symmetrical: she has been drawing that line for 13 years, since she was 14. And better good copy than bad thinking: her signature make-up look was inspired by her older sister.
Now we don't have long to recover from all the excitement, get our heart rates back to normal and give our fingers some rest from all the liking. Because on Sunday, Jutta will be on the ice again, and this time she will tackle the 500 metres.
