Jutta Leerdam’s 200,000-strong social media following knew she was a star — now the rest of the world does.
The 21-year-old from the Netherlands emerged as one of the breakout stars of the European Speed Skating Championships after crushing her rivals in the 1000m.
Securing her first open-age European title after a standout junior career, Leerdam will now look to challenge dominant American Brittany Bowe at next month’s world championships in Salt Lake City.
“I want to drive times that have never been driven,” she told the Dutch media.
Leerdam wasn’t bothered by a groin injury which saw her sit out of the 500m as she finished clear of Russian duo Daria Katsjanova and Yekaterina Schicova in a personal-best time of 1:13.67.
“It wasn’t the ideal preparation, but I really wanted to show what I had,” she said.