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As Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam broke an Olympic record in her gold-medal-winning run on Monday, her fiancée Jake Paul couldn’t contain his emotions.
He was crying for joy.
Paul was on his feet in the stands, bawling his eyes out as Leerdam didn’t just live up to the expectations of winning gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina games — she also broke the 1,000-meter speed skating record with a time of 1:12.31.
Leerdam broke the previous record set by teammate Femke Kok, who notched her time just moments before Leerdam’s run.
While the 27-year-old skater was brought to tears after seeing her final time, Paul was in the stands doing the same, surrounded by her family, who also couldn’t help but cry tears of joy.
This marked Leerdam’s first-ever gold medal at the Olympics and her second overall medal after winning silver in Beijing in 2022.
JAKE PAUL TAKES ISSUE WITH BAD BUNNY ‘OPENLY HATING AMERICA’ AMID ICE CRITICISM
This one was extra special considering Leerdam’s surprising fall during the Dutch Olympic Trials, which forced her out of the race. There were talks that her spot at Milan Cortina was in doubt, but she made the Dutch team in the end.
It was the right move.
Before Leerdam’s record-breaking run, Kok raced to an impressive 1:12.59 time, which ultimately resulted in a silver medal for the Netherlands. Kok is also expected to be in contention for the gold medal in the 500-meter race later in the Games.
Rounding out the podium in the 1,000-meter sprint was Japan’s Miho Takagi, who finished third with a time of 1:13.95.
As for the Americans, Erin Jackson was in first place with a 1:15.00 time. However, as the skaters kept going, she kept falling down the list.
Brittany Bowe, Jackson’s teammate, just finished in fourth to miss out on a medal with a time of 1:14.55.
Paul, the polarizing boxer, has been no stranger to showing emotion. And while this was pure joy, he fired off a tweet that appeared angry when talking about another massive sporting event back in the States.
Paul called Super Bowl LX halftime show performer Bad Bunny a “fake citizen” ahead of the Puerto Rican’s performance at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night. Paul took exception with Bad Bunny due to the Grammy Award-winning artist speaking out against things like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico,” Paul said in his most recent tweet, clarifying what he wrote on Sunday night. “I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so. But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it. Period. That’s the same reason I called out Hunter Hess.
“If you benefit from a country and the platform it gives you, but publicly disrespect it at the same time, that’s what I mean by being a fake citizen. And I agree love is more powerful than hate. Love America.”
Paul and Leerdam announced their engagement in March 2025 with a joint Instagram post.
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