Jutta Leerdam abandons another skating team: ‘Individual route is best for me’ | To skate

Leerdam admits in her social media post that she was close to a switch to Team IKO. “That’s why all the love and respect goes to Team IKO, which helped me fit into the structure.”

“Still, bottom line it ultimately took more out of me than what I got back,” Leerdam continues. “I compared every possible route within the skating world with an individual route. A route with people I believe in is something I cannot let go of.”

The 25-year-old Leerdam does not specify what her individual route will look like. Before her switch to Jumbo, she rode in a team that she had founded together with her ex-boyfriend and former skater Koen Verweij. There doesn’t seem to be any question of having our own team now.

“An individual route is not always fun,” writes Leerdam. “It’s often stressful, it’s sometimes lonely. But when I win, it’s worth it. When I do it, I do it well. Ultimately, this route is the best for me in this pre-Olympic season.”

Leerdam’s contract with Jumbo expired on April 1. She has been driving in the colors of Jumbo since 2022. There, under the leadership of coach Jac Orie, she was crowned world champion in the 1,000 meters and won the European sprint title.

The last year was less successful for Leerdam. Due to family circumstances and ankle complaints, she had to settle for a bronze medal at the World Championship distances (1,000 meters).

“I now want to learn, invest and return to where I came from. Work hard and get out of my comfort zone,” Leerdam writes. “If it doesn’t work, then I have followed my feelings and – when I hopefully live to be very old – I will look back on a career that I am proud of.”