The slip-up during the 1,000-meter event leaves Leerdam’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics up in the air.
Influencer Jake Paul shared a sweet message of support for his fiancée, speed skater Jutta Leerdam, after she crashed out during the Olympic Trials and left the ring in tears.
The incident occurred at the Olympic Trials in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on Friday, Dec. 26, according to Olympics.com. Leerdam, 26, lost her balance on the second bend of the 1000-meter trial, falling to the ice and crashing into the boards. She left the ring looking visibly emotional.
Paul, 28, who was in attendance at the trials and watched the event from the sidelines, showed his support for Leerdam in a message shared on his Instagram Stories on Sunday, Dec. 28.
In the post, the social media star-turned-professional boxer shared a clip of Leerdam skating in the arena. He wrote, “So proud of you warrior @juttaleerdam,” over the video.
It is now unclear whether Leerdam, who took home the silver medal in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, will qualify to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Leerdam said she is unsure how or why the fall happened.
“I don’t know if there was anything on the ice, but it felt like I was standing on something. I completely slid,” Leerdam said while speaking to Dutch outlet Schaatsen.nl.
“[I’ve been] riding so well in practice. What those girls are riding here, I could have easily ridden today,” she continued, adding, “This is truly the most frustrating moment for this to happen, because I almost never fall.”
Leerdam’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics now depends on a decision from the Selection Committee, which selects athletes based on their medal prospects. Leerdam has since said that she hopes the committee will take her entire season into account when making their decision.
“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 said while speaking to Schaatsen.nl.
Paul and Leerdam made their relationship Instagram official in April 2023 when Paul posted a photo of himself posing next to her on Instagram.
“I’m Dutch now,” Paul jokingly captioned the photo, which featured him hand-in-hand with Leerdam in a carousel of photos.
They announced their engagement alongside photos from the proposal in a joint Instagram post earlier this year on March 22.
“We’re engaged💍🕊️🤍we can’t wait to spend forever together,” Paul captioned the post.
While speaking to PEOPLE in March, Jeerdam said she was “shocked” when Paul proposed, adding that Paul had included her family in the special moment.
“I had a feeling, but I didn’t know my parents were going to be there, so that was the biggest surprise ever,” she told PEOPLE while on the red carpet for the premiere of Paul American in New York City.
“I was in shock, but it was the best day of my life, really,” she added.”
While the engagement went off without a hitch, Paul admitted that he was “very nervous” to pop the question. “Way more nervous than any of my fights,” he told PEOPLE.
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