Sven Kramer is a sore loser. There, I said it. It is of course no surprise that he cannot cope with his loss; It was not without reason that he was such a great skating champion. But I cannot help but feel that the trait has not left him now that he is director of the Jumbo-Visma skating team. He personally pulled the plug on the contract negotiations with Jutta Leerdam this week, with the words: “We felt there was an excellent offer. You may have different opinions about how you complete something like this. But for us, no one is bigger than the team.”
Wait, what…?, you think as an unsuspecting listener. What did Leerdam want that was unattainable? Unreasonably much money? Skating with gold blades? Only blue M&Ms? Because yes, Jutta is of course known as a skating diva. With her posed photos, pursed lips and millions of followers on Instagram. With her luxurious trips, shiny cars and… bad boy Jake Paul as friend. That can’t be good for her, she’ll get that guy herself. Voilà, there you have it: contract negotiations with the most respectable team in the Netherlands and the lady is making things difficult. Because she feels bigger than the team.
You are not telling me that Sven Kramer was not aware of the tone he sets with such a comment. Jutta immediately felt compelled to respond, first via Instagram and later in The Telegraph, to tell her that she is not a diva, but a winner. I cheered out loud when I read that quote from her. Go Jutta.
It’s not about money at all, she stated. I need a different way of working to get the best out of myself again, a way of working that Jumbo-Visma cannot offer me. Then the paths part. Fair enough, you might say. An excellent reason not to want to continue with something. It is even impressive that a 25-year-old knows herself so well that she says ‘no’ to an excellent financial offer to face uncertainty two years before the Olympic Games. In fact, had Jutta been a man, her self-confidence and steadfastness would have been called ‘powerful’ and ‘professional’, instead of a sneer about diva behavior.
I’m so tired of paternalism sometimes. By this I am not directly referring to Sven Kramer, who simply feels kicked in the private parts because he lost. No, I mean the paternalistic tenor in general. The tenor of ‘don’t do that, girl’. Don’t be so busy with Instagram, it distracts from the sport. Don’t show off your body like that, it distracts from the sport. Don’t go with that flashy boxer, it distracts from the sport. That’s not good for you. That will go wrong, just wait. Just wait.
In the meantime, Jutta Leerdam sticks her nose in the wind and does exactly what she wants. And how. No one has to tell her what she needs, what distracts her or not, or how to be a champion. Yes, something like an ankle injury throws a spanner in the works. And that hassle when people think something of her again, which makes her feel forced to give an interview to justify herself.
Jutta does not deserve to be ruffled with feathers, but a standing ovation and a banner with: Slay queen.
Marijn de Vries is a former professional cyclist and journalist.
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