Meet Olympic champion Jutta Leerdam, Jake Paul’s girlfriend who wears an influencer attitude

Dubai: It is hard to miss Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam. Standing at 1.81m and with looks that turn heads wherever she goes, the 27-year-old has been dividing opinions at the Winter Olympics, just like her boyfriend, the American YouTuber Jake Paul.

The celebrity duo has a combined 70 million social media followers and with five million Instagram followers, Leerdam is the most-followed speed skater in history.

She arrived in Italy for the Games by private jet with Paul, whose nascent career as a boxer received a reality check when Anthony Joshua knocked him out in a Netflix-backed fight in December.

Her teammates travelled on a commercial flight with the Dutch delegation.

Leerdam's approach led to her being labelled a "terrible diva" by 77-year-old star sports pundit and former footballer Johan Derksen on Dutch television channel SBS6 this week.

But after her gold-medal winning performance in the 1,000m event on Monday, in a new Olympic record time, with an emotional Paul roaring her on in the stands, critics are having to eat their words.

Two years ago, Leerdam clashed with speed skating legend and now team manager Sven Kramer. They fell out over Leerdam's demands for individualised preparation routines and, crucially, commercial freedom.

"No one is bigger than the team," Kramer, regarded as the greatest speed skater of the modern era, declared at the time.

On Monday, the De Telegraaf newspaper praised her, noting that by winning gold, Leerdam had "answered all her critics".

The striking speed skater brings a youthful image and visibility that has modernised a sport that only hits the international spotlight every four years. She also happens to be the 2022 World Sprint Champion in the 500 and 1,000m combined.

Leerdam will be going for a second gold on Sunday in the 500m event. Suffice to say all eyes will be on her.