Jordan Crooks tied his own national record of 21.73 seconds to notch a sixth place finish in the men’s 50-metre freestyle final in Fukuoka, Japan.
The race was Cayman’s last of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Time drops and national record-setting performances in the heats and semifinals of the event saw Crooks, 21, advance to the final on 29 July in the middle of the pack after entering the meet with the 40th fastest seed time.
In the medal race early on Saturday morning Cayman time, the reigning short course 50-metre freestyle world champion held his own against the top sprinters on the planet to finish sixth overall, only 0.15 seconds shy of the podium.
While it may not have been the podium finish he hoped for, Crooks still made history in Fukuoka, becoming the first-ever Caymanian to reach a major long course (50-metre pool) championship final not just once, but twice.
It also won’t be long before the 21-year-old is back on the world stage.
In both of his events this week – the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle – Crooks also secured Olympic ‘A’ qualifying times, meaning he is automatically eligible to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics next summer.
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