Jutta Leerdam talks about leaving Jumbo-Visma

“How this is communicated from the team feels like a knife in my back,” says Leerdam (25) from the Caribbean island where she has been staying since the end of the last skating season with her boyfriend Jake Paul, who lives there.

Leerdam’s contract with Jumbo-Visma expired on April 1. Kramer and coach Jac Orie were committed to retaining Leerdam for longer, also because there is an exodus among the country’s richest skating team, which is also looking for a new sponsor because the current agreements only apply for one season. The search for a lender is not going well for the time being.

‘I don’t care about the money’

Leerdam: “I wish them the best, because I know they are looking for sponsors and I don’t want to get in their way, but I am now being portrayed as some kind of diva. But I’m not a diva at all, I’m a winner. They are now throwing it at my stigma. I do indeed wear make-up, like nice clothes and am active on social media. If I really were a diva, I would have chosen the money. But that’s not my point at all, I’m skating for Olympic gold and the route that takes me there. I want to win that gold medal at all costs.”

Kramer stated on Monday that no one is above the team when he had to explain why he had permanently stopped contract talks. According to him, there was an excellent offer on the table for Leerdam. “We did not sense the conviction in her that we believe is necessary to be successful together,” says Kramer. “That is why we decided last week to stop discussions and end the collaboration.”

Get better at skating

Leerdam: “Sven thinks it is about a negotiation or an offer. It’s not about salary at all for me, despite their good financial offer, I actually wanted something different from a sporting point of view. I have suggested many alternatives, but to no avail. Then it is better to split up. I definitely don’t want to sling mud, but how this is being communicated is disrespectful and similar damage control .”

“I wanted to improve in the technical field of sports, something that will help me further. I need that, I feel that. But they didn’t want to change anything and wanted everything to stay the same. With Jac the emphasis is more on the basics, and I come from a background where the vision was different and more specific. It went well for a while, but for now I need something extra. I was always extremely challenged technically in skating. I miss that. It just felt too safe for me. Again, I don’t want to sling mud and I respect Jac’s views, but this is what my gut says. I have always listened to my heart and I do that now too. I wasn’t going to give an interview about this until it was all about Jutta again.”

Successful season in Leerdam

Leerdam came to Jumbo-Visma in the spring of 2022 and, in the first season under Orie, became world champion in her much-loved 1000 meters and European champion in the sprint four-way event. Last season she mainly faltered in the second half of the skating year. In January she became European champion in the kilometer, but she did not think that race was particularly high. After that things started to deteriorate, mainly due to an ankle injury that wouldn’t heal.

Leerdam even lost the fun of her favorite activity this year, she says from the other side of the world. Or as she says herself: “I lost the spark , so the spark. I wanted that fun back that had always come first. I have always challenged myself. That is why I waited for weeks to see whether Jumbo-Visma was open to change and innovation. It’s really disappointing that I was put down like this today. I don’t deserve that. I have always committed more than 100 percent to the team. They could always count on me. That’s why I thought this afternoon: now it’s done, I’m standing up for myself, that’s why this reaction now.”

Her summer is therefore uncertain, although Leerdam can now join Team IKO (the team of last season’s most surprising world champion, Joy Beune). She also listened to Jillert Anema, the idiosyncratic coach of Team Albert Heijn Zaanlander.

Jutta’s future will be announced soon

“I think it’s great,” says Leerdam, “that there are people like Jillert who think along and see that I want to get the most out of my sport. Everyone will hear what my route will look like as soon as possible. In any case, I would like to thank Jumbo-Visma for the past two years and I wish them all the best.”

When Leerdam recently approached Jillert Anema to ask what should happen next for her, he came up with striking advice. Anema: “To be clear, Jutta is not coming to our team. I only advised her to start a ‘Stand Alone team’.” What exactly does he mean by that? “It’s the same as Rintje Ritsma once did in the 1990s when he started Team Sanex. The Rintje brand was just as strong then as the Jutta brand is now.”

“We joined forces with Inter Football at the time,” Adema continues, “the management agency of Maarten de Vos. A very large agency at the time, like SEG is now. Jutta is currently at SEG, also mainly active in football. I think SEG can mean a lot to Jutta and to skating. She once founded the team NXTGEN. Because she then went to Jumbo-Visma, that sponsor simply disappeared from skating. What a waste. That’s why I wish Jutta the fastest times and a good new sponsor.”

Team IKO or reunion with Poltavets?

Anema also advised to appoint Kosta Poltavets as coach. Poltavets previously worked successfully with Leerdam (world champion at 1000 meters in March 2022), before she left for Jumbo-Visma. The Ukrainian-born, who has lived in Heerenveen for years, was an advisor to the Kazakhstan skating association last season.

“But that has now come to an end,” Poltavets said when asked on Monday afternoon. So he has his hands free again. “I had noticed for some time that Jutta was not feeling well,” Poltavets continued. “If Jutta asks me to help her, I will. I have time again.”

Leerdam’s management also approached Team IKO, coach Martin ten Hove confirmed. He recently said that attracting Leerdam to IKO is not affordable.

“But,” Ten Hove understood, “It’s not about the money for Jutta, as I’ve learned. So we are an option for her. By the way, I read that Poltavets would become her coach, but I can tell you: that’s not going to happen. We have an excellent staff and are not planning to hire a new trainer. We’ll hear later what Jutta really wants. We had no choice but to tell our story.”