The Netherlands just struck gold (and silver) at a nail-biting speed skating race at the Winter Olympics in Milan.
On Monday evening, Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok battled it out in the women’s 1000m speed skating final.
Finishing in 1 minute, 12 seconds, and 31 milliseconds, Leerdam broke the Olympic record, edging Kok into silver by less than half a second.
Finally, the Netherlands had its first medal of Milano Cortina 2026 — and it came from the sport the Dutch know best.
Experts “run out of superlatives”
According to NOS, speed skating coaches and veterans were in disbelief at Leerdam’s performance.
Speed skating analyst Mark Tuitert thought Kok’s race was unbeatable. Watching Leerdam face that impossible pressure, he says, “This is the most beautiful 1,000 metres I’ve ever witnessed live.”
Meanwhile, a legend in Dutch speed skating, Ireen Wüst, says…
“If you can do this when Femke Kok just rode so incredibly hard in front of you… Stay true to yourself, maintain a certain calmness in your mind, keep the faith and confidence that you can do this too, and even faster, then you are truly by far the best.”
Mounting pressure
Aside from racing the clock, Leerdam faced a lot of pressure before her race.
Three-time Olympic champion Marianne Timmer knows pressure. But Leerdam faced even more, she tells NOS.
Aside from sponsor expectations, there was a media frenzy around Jake Paul, her influencer-turned-boxer fiancé. He was “shouting and saying they’d win gold,” said Timmer.
There was also backlash over a private jet: Leerdam ditched the team flight for one provided by a Quote 500 member.
And obviously, the Olympics themselves.
@jakepaul I’M SO PROUD OF YOU @Jutta Leerdam ♬ original sound – Jake Paul
“You have to be able to handle that much baggage and pressure,” Timmer said. “And if you do, you’ve silenced everyone.”
Royal congratulations
After the race, Leerdam and Kok had a chat with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, reports RTL Nieuws.
“We’ve won the first medals for the Netherlands, haven’t we?” Leerdam asked the royals.
“No, that’s right,” the king confirmed.
Leerdam couldn’t resist a jab at the men’s team. “See, those women are doing it again. The men just have to push through a bit more.”
King Willem-Alexander laughed and doubled down: “Look at the Dutch rankings in Paris if you take the women out. We’d be nowhere.”
“We just have so many good women,” he adds.
He’s not wrong. Dutch women have been carrying the team for years, and Milano Cortina 2026 is proving no different.
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