In a fitting location to honour Caymanian swimmer Jordan Crooks, the Ministry of Sports hosted more than 100 people in Heroes Square, on Wednesday, 21 Dec., to celebrate Crooks’ extraordinary achievement at the FINA Short Course World Championships.
Crooks, 20, won gold in the 50-metre freestyle event at the championships in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, 17 Dec., becoming Cayman’s first world champion in any sport.
During the celebratory event, Crooks told the Cayman Compass that he appreciated all the recognition and support he received following his monumental win.
“I’m very grateful to be able to share this experience with my family, my friends, and I won’t call any names, they know who they are,” he said. “I appreciate Cayman. I believe it’s one of the best places in the world that anyone can possibly ever live, and I tell people that all the time. I wouldn’t want to grow up anywhere else. I come from the best Caribbean island.”
Many officials paid tribute to Crooks during the event, including Carson Ebanks, general secretary of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee; Steve Broadbelt, president of the Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association; and Sports Minister Bernie Bush.
The sports ministry presented Crooks with a solid Caymanite plaque inscribed with details of his historic win, and $25,000 as a gift for his accomplishment.
Speaking with the Compass, Bush said Crooks’ historic achievement is one he had hoped to see for Cayman for many years.
“What he has done, is given us a real role model,” Bush said. “We have people now saying I want to be like him and that’s what I’ve always wanted.
“I’ve always dreamt about having that kind of role model in Cayman and here’s what I’m going to tell the world: There is more coming behind Jordan. Within the next two or three years, there’s going to be more.”
Composure after winning gold
While most would be over the moon after winning their first gold medal at a world championships, the humble Crooks said at the time he felt no emotions and it was evident to anyone watching him on the TV.
“At first, I didn’t really feel much to be honest, I felt kind of numb,” he said. “As it kind of set in, I was very grateful that all the hard work that my parents put in and the people that helped me over the years had not been in vain; that I had finally done something that they could be proud of and something that I could be proud of myself.”
Speaking with Jordan’s younger sister, Jillian Crooks, who also competed at the world championships and produced several national records, said trying to hype her brother up following his win was unsuccessful, as his mind had turned to what he would be dong at home.
“We were talking about the boat in North Side right after and I can’t go into details but I’m very proud of him,” she told the Compass.
Jordan admitted that throwing his rod back in Cayman was on his mind minutes after he finished his final race in Melbourne.
“It was one of the first things I [thought] about after I finished,” he said. “So yes, I did think about that soon after the race, not the first thought after, but one of the first few.”
He added, “Quite often, when I am away from home all I think about is getting back home [for] the fishing, being around family, that’s just something I grew up doing.”
His historic performance
Crooks defeated Britain’s Benjamin Proud (20.49) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter (20.72) to take gold in the 50m freestyle in 20.46.
Crooks and Proud, who was fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, were neck-and-neck at the turn, but the Caymanian found an extra edge to sprint to glory by 0.03 of a second. He answered every question in Melbourne on 17 Dec. The win is the biggest in Cayman swimming history and up there with any sporting achievement in the islands’ history.
Prior to that, Crooks advanced out of the semifinals with a time of 20.31 seconds. The University of Tennessee sophomore’s time catapults him into the top-five performers of all time in the 50m. Prior to that, he was ranked 114th.
“It’s taken a long time,” Crooks said. “It definitely hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. There were times when I didn’t want to swim anymore.
“Coach Caleb [Miller], he is one of the people I have to thank the most. He stopped me from making the grave mistake of quitting swimming and he was the only person that could convince me to come back to the sport and I am eternally grateful to him.”
Before his 50m event, he finished his 100m finals in 45.77 seconds – enough for sixth place. Crooks had entered the 100m finals in Melbourne on Thursday, 15 Dec. with the fastest qualifying time of 45.55 following the semi-finals, putting him ahead of Olympic medallist Kyle Chalmers and defending champion Alessandro Miressi as he lined up for the final event.
If Crooks had been able to reproduce that semi-final winning time in the final, he would have earned himself a bronze medal.
Ultimately, Australian Chalmers would secure the gold medal, with France’s Maxime Grousset taking silver and Italian Miressi the bronze.
Arriving to the masses
The arrivals hall at Owen Roberts International Airport was filled with people welcoming Crooks home from the world championships.
Chants of “Jordan, Jordan” echoed throughout the airport on Monday, 19 Dec., as government officials, local swimmers, family, friends and members of the public waved their Cayman flags, with some hoping to meet the national superstar.
“It means a lot,” Crooks told the Compass in a brief interview at the airport. “I’m very happy to be back in Cayman. The country has done a lot for me. I appreciate it more than they could possibly know.”
Newly appointed assistant director of sports, Emily Kelly, was among the many government officials who were at the airport to greet Crooks.
Beaming with national pride, she told the Compass that she was pleased with the turnout of supporters.
“It was so heartwarming,” Kelly said. “You see that you’re making your country proud, you see it on social media, you get the calls and texts, but to have people show up in the masses, it really makes a difference.
“I hope that Jordan felt the love.”
“It is beyond inspiring, and I think I speak on behalf of the whole island, when I say we are overjoyed for Jordan and his historic win; and his 
sister Jillian, who also represented us,” Kelly said. “We are so proud of them, and I think it is really inspiring for the upcoming generation.”
Jordan and Jillian’s performances during the 16th FINA World Championships racked up enough points to put the Cayman Islands in first place for a Caribbean nation, third for Pan America and 11th overall in the world.
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