Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam could be set to land a massive payday after bagging her first gold medal at this year’s Winter Olympics, but not for the reason you might think.
The 27-year-old, who is engaged to influencer Jake Paul, impressed the world when she came first in the women’s 1,000-metre speed skating race on 9 February – but it was her celebration that could see her bagging some serious cash.
Breaking down in tears after her win, Leerdam pulled down the zip of her orange and blue racing suit to reveal a white Nike sports bra as she skated around the ice rink in celebration to rapturous applause.
Shortly after her win, Nike’s official Instagram account shared a photo of the Gold Olympic medallist, writing: “When you’re this fast, you don’t ask for permission.
“Jutta Leerdam breaks the Olympic record in the Speed Skating 1000m and wins her first Gold.”
The speed skater was emotional as she crossed over the line (Jiang Qiming/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The post appears to be referring to the fact that the Netherlands Winter Olympic official merchandise sponsor is FILA, yet Leerdam chose to wear a Nike sports bra and put it on full display following her win – a decision which advertising experts predict could make her a fortune in partnerships.
Why could Jutta Leerdam make $1 million?
According to advertising expert Frederique de Laat, founder of female athlete marketing agency Branthlete, the athlete could be set to bag at least a million over the powerful move.
“With Nike, I suspect you’re looking at a figure of over a million,” she told Dutch publication AD.
Although Olympians are not paid for competing in the games, most countries will offer prize money to those who come home with medals, with the Netherlands said to award $35,000 (£25,748) to those who bag gold.
Leerdam revealing her Nike sports bra after her win could bag her a huge payday (WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images)
Leerdam’s impressive win saw her skate 1,000 metres in an incredible 1:12:31 as her fiancé Paul burst into tears from the crowd.
Jake Paul’s reaction to his fiancée’s win
The YouTuber-turned-boxer was pictured getting emotional from the stands, where he wore the orange and white Dutch scarf.
Sharing videos of the win and his reaction to Instagram, Paul wrote: “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU,” and “MY BABY JUST SET THE OLYMPIC WORLD RECORD.”
In another post, picking up his fiancée, he wrote: “We just witnessed one of the most important sporting moments ever. The doc will tell. Words can’t describe how proud of you I am.”
He’d been showing plenty of support for Leerdam ahead of the event too, writing: “Today is your day baby. You’ve worked your whole life for this.
“We all love and support you so much, go get em champ.”
Jake Paul became emotional while witnessing his fiancée’s win in the stands (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)How much is Jutta Leerdam worth?
According to several reports, Leerdam has an estimated net worth of $5 million (£3 million). Last year, the Olympic athlete signed up for a few partnerships, including one with Nike.
In December, she took to her Instagram to announce that she was part of the brand’s partnership, writing: “This was always the dream, right alongside performing on the ice. I never settled for less, because I knew what I wanted.”
And the month prior, she’d modelled for Nike X Skims after taking home the gold in the women’s 1000 m speed skating event at the ISU World Cup, with her favourite gym gear displayed on the website.
In addition, she was announced as the face of Odido, one of the largest mobile companies in the Netherlands, in October and is an ambassador for Omega Watches, one of the Winter Games’ partners.
Her social media following is also pretty decent, with 6.3 million on Instagram and 3 million on TikTok, where she regularly posts, even recently sharing a video of herself and Paul with her gold and silver medals.