Racing in his and the Cayman Islands’ first-ever major long course championship final, Jordan Crooks grabbed seventh place in the World Aquatics Championships men’s 100-metre freestyle on 27 July.
Crooks, 21, was quick off the blocks for the event’s final, an explosive dive combined with underwater kicks that are near-unmatched in the sport helping the young Caymanian stick with the world’s best as he charged to the wall in a time of 47.94, just half a second shy of the podium.
Though that final time was two-tenths of a second off his new personal best and Cayman Islands national record of 47.71 from the event’s semifinals, Crooks reached the halfway (50m) mark of the race fractionally quicker than he did in his semifinal performance, exhibiting opening speed that should bode well for his next race: the 50m freestyle.
| Final | Semifinal (personal best and national record) |
| First 50m: 22.96 | First 50m: 22.98 |
| Second 50m: 24.98 | Second 50m: 24.73 |
| Time: 47.94 | Time: 47.71 |
Jordan Crooks 100-metre freestyle race breakdown and comparison at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
“The 50-metre [freestyle] is more his distance,” said CIASA technical director Jacky Pellerin, who is with the Cayman team in Fukuoka. “But three times under 48 seconds is remarkable.”
Every session of racing at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships is streamed live on subscription television service Peacock, while results and a full schedule of events can be found on the World Aquatics website.
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