Overview
- Leerdam crashed out of the 1000m at the Dutch Olympic Trials on Dec. 26 in Heerenveen, sliding into the boards and leaving the ice in tears.
- Two days later she finished second in the 500m behind Femke Kok, clocking 37.242 to Kok’s 36.873 in a key bounce-back performance.
- A second place in the 500m does not secure a roster place under the Netherlands’ algorithm-driven selection system, known as the Matrix.
- Leerdam urged selectors to consider her season, noting multiple World Cup wins in the 1000m and her Beijing 2022 silver in the event.
- Fiancé Jake Paul attended the trials, reacted emotionally to the fall, and later posted a supportive message praising her resilience.