EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMILAN -- Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam set a Games record in the women's 1,000 meters as she claimed her first gold medal in an Olympic-record time Monday then stopped near the stands to blow kisses at her fianc, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.Racing in the event's final heat against defending Olympic champion Miho Takagi of Japan, Leerdam never strayed from her steady strides and finished in 1 minute, 12.31 seconds in front of a raucous crowd of orange-clad fans from her speedskating-loving nation.That was nearly a full second faster than Takagi skated at the 2022 Beijing Games to push Leerdam into second place that time.Takagi wound up with the bronze this time, behind Leerdam's Dutch teammate Femke Kok.Brittany Bowe of the United States, the owner of the world record in the 1,000, set in 2019, was fourth. Another American, Erin Jackson, who took the Olympic gold in the 500 four years ago, was sixth.There have been three Olympic records in three speedskating races so far in the temporary arena built for the Milan Cortina Games.Leerdam will seek another medal Sunday in the 500 meters. Her trophy case includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 -- in 2020 and 2023.She has been superb in the 1,000 this season, winning three of the four World Cup races she entered at that distance. That included beating Kok in Germany last month.Leerdam and Paul announced their engagement on Instagram last year.
