Jordan Crooks’ world swimming gold is “the greatest achievement ever by a sportsman in our history”.
That might sound like a bold statement.
But coming, as it does, from the man with one of the next best claims to that accolade, it is hard to argue.
Long-jumper Kareem Streete-Thompson ended a glittering career with a clutch of medals, including silver medals at the World Indoor Championships and PanAm Games and bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
His achievements, alongside those of fellow track and field star Cydonie Mothersille, who took Commonwealth gold in India in 2010 in the 200m sprint, are considered to be the pinnacle of achievement in Cayman sports history up to this point.
Swimming brothers Brett and Shaune Fraser, who won gold and silver at the PanAm Games, sprinter Kemar Hyman, who was the first Caymanian athlete to go sub-10 seconds over 100 metres and Andrew Smiley, who won open-water swimming gold at the Special Olympics in 2011, all have claims to magic moments in Cayman’s sports history.
And just this year, teenage golfer Aaron Jarvis put his name in that company, winning the Latin America Amateur Championship to become the first Cayman golfer to qualify for a major championship and then making the cut at the Open in Scotland.
But Streete-Thompson is unequivocal. Crooks’ thrilling gold medal swim eclipses them all.
“I don’t have any doubt in my mind. World champion is world champion. When you win that title you are the best in the world.”
Though Crooks’ win over 50m at the FINA Short Course World Championships may move Streete-Thompson down a peg in the annals of Cayman sports history, he could not be more thrilled.
“I am ecstatic,” he said.
“I have prayed for this day. For Cayman sport to move forward, we have to have athletes that push the envelope. I hope this also inspires that next kid to come along and push it even further.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Cayman has got the talent. The issue has always been around support and that sporting culture.”
Streete-Thompson believes Crooks, still only 20, is now in a good position to go on and challenge for Olympic honours.
“If you have already beaten the world’s best, you have to have a chance. The issue now is going to be preparation and to take it up a notch. The Olympics is the toughest competition in the world and it only comes around every four years, so going into 2024 everything has to be right.”
An athlete might just get two or three shots at Olympic gold in a career, so everything has to fall in to place, says Streete-Thompson, who was 1cm away from the long jump final in 2000 in Sydney.
“You have to be the best in the world and then be the best person on that day. It takes everything you have got.
“I hope Jordan can celebrate for a little while and then take things up a notch.”
Streete-Thompson, now an associate head coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio, represented both the US and Cayman during his track and field career. He believes Cayman could do more to support its star athletes and create the kind of environment – typical in Jamaica and Bahamas – that nurtures young sports stars and provides them with the financial support and exposure to competition to succeed.
“Cayman has never had that true sporting culture. If you look at all the athletes that have competed on the world stage they have all had to go off island and put themselves in uncomfortable situations to succeed.
“The amount of time, energy and resources that goes into trying to be the best is enormous.”
He said financial, infrastructure support and a mentality to succeed would help Cayman create more champions. But he acknowledged the best young athletes would always need to go further afield to seek out exposure to competition.
“There is only one way to do it,” he said.
“You have to jump into the fire.”
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