NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic champion speedskater Jutta Leerdam, a global star at the Milan Cortina Winter Games watched by her fiance Jake Paul, is taking a season away from the ice.
“One thing is for sure, you will not see me skate this season,” Leerdam said in a video message on her YouTube channel that had more than 160,000 views Tuesday.
“I’m 27, life changes, feelings change, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying I’m fully retiring,” the Dutch skater
said.
Leerdam won Olympic gold in February in the 1,000 meters at Milan cheered on by YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, her partner since 2023. She also took silver in the 500.
“I’ve had an obsession with skating,” she said in the YouTube post, adding “I’ve always been more than a skater. I am so multifaceted.”
Leerdam was in New York at the weekend attending the U.S. Open women’s singles final with Paul, and hinted Monday she would create more videos for social media channels. She has 6.3 million followers on Instagram.
By skipping this winter season, Leerdam will miss a home European Championships at Heerenveen and the world championships in February in Beijing, where she took silver in the 1,000 at the 2022 Olympics.
Heerenveen also will stage the next Olympic speedskating events for the French Alps hosts of the 2030 Winter Games, when Leerdam will be 31.
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