Jutta Leerdam's Olympic-winning suit fetches jaw-dropping sum for youth charity at auction

Jutta Leerdam's gold-medal-winning suit from the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics sold for an eye-watering amount in an auction on Friday. 

The Dutch speed skater's bright orange racing suit sold for $228,442.50 (USD), outperforming an item from soccer star Cristano Ronaldo sold on the same platform. 

Jake Paul's fiancee wore the suit when she skated to victory in the 1,000-meter race in Milan in February. Leerdam, 27, also wore it when she won the silver medal in the 500 meter race six days later. 

It didn't look like Leerdam's suit was going to fetch much money in the charity auction, organized by the Dutch Olympic Committee, at first. 

However, there was a last-minute duel between two bidders, which pushed the total sale up over $200,000. 

Organizers were  reportedly "stunned by the late surge in bidding" for the garment, nothing that "up until an hour before closing, the highest bid on Leerdam’s signed suit was just under €10000 ($11,716.35 USD),” according to the Olympics media site.

The buyer's identity has not been revealed, although the auction site has confirmed that the winning bid came from the Netherlands. 

MORE JUTTA LEERDAM: Why Jake Paul's fiancee Jutta Leerdam skipped Olympics celebration after winning silver in 500m

MORE JUTTA LEERDAM: Jutta Leerdam dishes on sweet surprise Jake Paul included in his proposal

The money raised from Jutta Leerdam's gold-winning suit will benefit a youth charity

In a heartwarming twist, the money raised will be used to benefit IJsvereniging Pijnacker, the local club where Leerdam first learned to skate. 

The funds are expected to support facility improvements and provide training opportunities for youth athletes. 

Shortly after winning the gold in Milan, the 27-year-old Dutch champion spoke out about how she'd like to use her platform to inspire the next generation of skaters. 

“I want them [kids watching] to never get discouraged by people saying you can’t do it,” the seven-time world champion told Olympics.com after the 500m race."

"On this distance, a lot of people in the media always told me I should quit because I didn’t make the podium as many times. They always said I should stop focusing on this distance, and now I have Olympic silver, so they should never listen to that," she added. 

Paul's wife-to-be also honed in on the importance of blocking out the noise and trusting the process, as you train to be an Olympic athlete. 

"Never listen to too many negative opinions, because people don’t understand. People don’t know who you are or how much work you put in. Try to focus on what you can control, which is having fun on the ice and enjoying the feeling. Those are the things you can control, so don’t let yourself get distracted by outside noise. I think that’s the biggest takeaway," she concluded. 

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