Jordan Crooks claims historic world swimming gold for Cayman

Cayman’s 20-year-old swimming sensation Jordan Crooks won an historic gold medal for Cayman at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne on Saturday.

Crooks is Cayman’s first world champion in any sport.

“It feels special,” Crooks told the Cayman Compass Saturday morning. “To represent my country means the world to me, it’s very dear to my heart. Just because you don’t have the right resources or you come from a certain background, it doesn’t mean you can’t make something of yourself.

“To all my supporters back home, thank you. It means a lot, and I am eternally grateful for the support. It’s hard to put into words but I look forward to seeing my people back home.”

He won the 50m freestyle event in 20.46, beating Britain’s Benjamin Proud (20.49) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter (20.72) to take gold.

Crooks, who already finished sixth in the 100m this week, has been the breakout star of the FINA Short Course World Championships. His qualifying time of 20.36 in the 50m event was the fifth fastest of all time.

Saturday’s final was not raced at quite such a blazing pace. Crooks and Proud, who was fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, were neck-and-neck at the turn, but the Caymanian found an extra edge in the sprint finish to take glory by 0.03 of a second.

While Crooks had been setting blistering times all year on the US college scene, the University of Tennessee star had yet to be tested on this kind of stage.

He answered every question in Melbourne Saturday night, or the early hours of the morning for those watching from Cayman. The win is the biggest in Cayman swimming history and up there with any sporting achievement in the islands’ history.

Speaking poolside to the event broadcaster, Crooks paid tribute to those who had helped him along the way.

“I’m really happy to be here, very grateful for my coaches, my family, and to God most of all,” he said.

“My coaches are amazing. Thank you to all of them. Each gives me a different perspective and they have allowed me to grow and develop a lot more than I ever thought possible.”

In a post on Jillian Crooks’ The Road To Tokyo 2021 Facebook page, a video captures the moment Jordan secured the gold medal:

Premier Wayne Panton issued a statement via his Facebook page Saturday congratulating Crooks on a ‘spectacular achievement’.