Racing in the event's final heat against defending Olympic champion Miho Takagi of Japan, Leerdam never strayed from her steady strides, and she finished in 1 minute, 12.31 seconds in front of a raucous crowd of orange-clad fans from her speedskating-loving nation.
That was nearly a full second faster than Takagi skated at the 2022 Beijing Games to push Leerdam into second place that time.
Takagi wound up with the bronze this time, behind Leerdam’s Dutch teammate Femke Kok.
Brittany Bowe of the United States, the owner of the world record in the 1,000, set back in 2019, was fourth. Another American, Erin Jackson — who took the Olympic gold in the 500 four years ago — was sixth.
There have been three Olympic records in three speedskating races so far in the temporary arena built for the Milan Cortina Games.
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Leerdam will seek another medal next Sunday in the 500 meters. Her trophy case includes 12 world championship medals, with six golds. Two of those titles arrived in the 1,000 — in 2020 and 2023.
She's been superb in the 1,000 this season, winning three of the four World Cup races she entered at that distance. That included beating Kok in Germany last month.
Paul is a 29-year-old American influencer who first gained fame for his YouTube videos and then made his way into the world of boxing about five years ago. Leerdam and Paul announced their engagement on Instagram last year.
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