Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam has left Milan after the Winter Olympics, where she won gold and silver medals but recently withdrew from a ceremony due to illness.
Telegraaf, a Dutch news outlet, reported on Leerdam’s departure from the Olympic venues in Milan following her performances at the Winter Games.
Jutta Leerdam, aged 27, won a gold medal in the 1000 meters and a silver medal in the 500 meters at the Winter Olympics. While she was honoured in the TeamNL House following her gold medal victory, she was unable to participate in the separate ceremony for her silver medal due to illness. Leerdam opted to stay away from the event to avoid exposing fellow athlete Femke Kok to her illness.
Despite missing the second ceremony, the Dutch Olympic Committee and Sports Federation (NOC*NSF) confirmed that her absence had been planned in advance with TeamNL. Leerdam departed Milan on Tuesday as scheduled, while other TeamNL athletes remained to attend the closing ceremony in Verona or visit fellow teammates still at the Olympic sites.
Leerdam is expected to participate in the upcoming World Sprint Championships in about two weeks. Although she has not commented on the future of her career following the Olympics, she is anticipated to be among the Dutch medal winners welcomed by King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and Princess Amalia at Paleis Noordeinde in The Hague later this month.
