'World's Hottest Speed Skater' Jutta Leerdam's Dominance Continues
Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam continues to dominate the competition. This weekend she competed in her fifth ISU Speed Skating World Cup 1,000-meter race and took home her fifth gold medal.
Leerdam bested Kimi Goetz of the US and Miho Takagi of Japan with a time of 1:14.94 on Sunday. Unfortunately she missed on taking the 1,000-meter World Cup trophy home by one point.
While she won five out of five gold medals in the 1,000 meter races she competed in, she missed last week's event and the points that went along with it.
Leerdam finished with 300 points which was good enough for second place. Miho Takagi won the trophy, despite not winning a single 1,000-meter race, with 301 points.
Not to take away from Takagi's accomplishment - well maybe a little bit - but had Leerdam skated the fifth event backward and finished the race she probably would have had enough points to win.
I couldn't find anything that said why Leerdam didn't participate in last week's event, but she was obviously the most dominant speed skater at this distance and should have a trophy that reflects that.
Thanks to an interview she did at the end of last year we know why she was so dominant. The key to her success is the "extra fat" she says she's carrying around.
"I have become stronger and heavier," she said. "I now use that extra fat as strength."
There Aren't Many As Skilled As Jutta Leerdam
Being that dominant and coming away empty handed as far as a trophy is concerned has to be a tough pill to swallow.
Knowing that she's unlocked something that the competition hasn't been able to keep up with makes it slightly less difficult to handle.
Leerdam's had a strong season off the ice as well. She's added a few hundred thousand followers since the last time we checked in with her and now reached the 4 million follower mark.