Jutta Leerdam will not work for another team after her break with Team Jumbo. The 25-year-old skater had discussions with Team IKO, but ultimately made the decision and decided to work towards the 2026 Winter Olympics via an individual route.
“I’ve had a lot of doubts, weighing things up and trying to fit into certain structures over the past two months,” she writes on Instagram. ‘This week I was about to choose, it was 50/50. Each route has its pros and cons. The media already announced that I would join Team IKO, we were close to that. Still, bottom line, it ultimately took more from me than what I got back. And that’s okay for both parties.’
‘I thank all the teams I spoke to who tried to make it workable in their own way. An individual route is not always fun. It’s often stressful, sometimes lonely, but when I win it’s worth it. Ultimately, this sports-technical route is the best for me this pre-Olympic season.’
Choose your own route
It is not the first time that Leerdam has chosen its own route. In 2020 she started her own team with her then boyfriend Koen Verweij and coach Kosta Poltavets. As a skater for Team Worldstream, she qualified for the Beijing Olympics, where she won silver in the 1000 meters. That team ceased to exist when they signed with Jumbo for two years in 2022. With the formation of Jac Orie, she did not reach an agreement on a new contract, after which there was plenty of speculation about her future.
Leerdam knows that she will not choose the easiest path this time, but she fully supports her choice. ‘I want to learn, invest and go back where I came from. Working really hard and getting out of my comfort zone. If that doesn’t work, then I have followed my instincts and, hopefully, when I live to be a very old person, I will look back on a career that I am proud of. And that is the most valuable thing to me. There are too many signs that this is what I want, so I’m just going to do it.’
Response from Team IKO
Team IKO heard of Leerdam’s decision on Thursday morning. “And we have nothing but respect for that. We had conversations about all kinds of aspects, such as sporting, commercial and group dynamics. Then it really has to be perfect for both parties and that was not the case in this situation,” responds Martin ten Hove, who leads Team IKO with his brother Erwin.
The team says it will not look for another skater now that Leerdam is not coming. Ten Hove: “No, we have twelve athletes and I think we are doing well. Jutta could have been there, but it looks good that way.” Team IKO, among others, has contracted world all-round champion Joy Beune.
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