Cayman will send four of its brightest young talents to the Olympics, with swimming superstar Jordan Crooks representing the islands’ best hope for a medal in a generation.
Joining him on the plane to Paris are his sister Jillian Crooks, participating in her second Olympics at just 18 years old, sprinter Davonte Howell, also 18, and sailor Charlotte Webster.
The Cayman squad was confirmed Wednesday with less than three weeks to go until the festival of sport gets under way in the French capital.
Jillian Crooks and Howell were the final names to slot into the squad in the past week.
‘Work hard, swim fast’
Crooks will represent Cayman in the 100m freestyle.
She said she hadn’t set any specific goals for herself but planned to “work hard and swim fast”.
She added, “I want to put all the hard work I have done in training into that race. I am just thinking about going out there and racing”.
She said it will be a great experience to have her brother alongside her. She hopes they will continue to learn from each other and support each other as they had done since they were kids.
“My goal is to enjoy the sport and keep on giving back to the sport.”
‘On cloud nine’
Sprinter Davonte Howell was another athlete whose place on the plane was not finalised until the last moment. Howell, who ran a personal best of 10.09 seconds in the Bahamas last month and is a back-to-back CARIFTA champion, will compete in the Olympics’ most storied event, the 100m.
He said competing in Paris was a moment he had dreamed of since he was a small boy.
“The last couple of days I have been on cloud nine,” he said of learning he had made the team and following in the footsteps of one of his heroes, Usain Bolt, who also competed in his first Olympics as a teenager.
“I have thought of Paris from the time I was 10 years old,” Howell said.
“This has been a long-time goal my dad set for me. We were watching on the television when I was 10 years old and he said … 2024 you are going to be there.”
Hope for a medal?
Jordan Crooks, who comes into the games on the back of record-setting college season, qualified for the Olympics last year, courtesy of his performance at the World Championships in Japan.
Crooks, the fastest Caymanian swimmer ever, also won gold at the FINA World Championships (short course) in a time of 20.31 seconds in 2022, tying him for the fourth fastest short course swimmer in history.
Though many within the sports and wider community believe that Crooks will be the one to earn Cayman’s first medal at the Olympics, he played down the hype in a recent interview with the Compass.
“I try not to set specific goals for results or times for these kind of events,” he said. “I approach each one with the goal of swimming as fast as I possibly can and not limit myself to one specific result.”
Sailor aims to put Cayman on the map
Rounding out the team is sailor Charlotte Webster, who competed in more than 20 international events in the past three years to help Cayman be awarded a qualifying slot.
Webster, who is already in France training, acknowledged in a recent interview with the Compass that she would be competing against more experienced sailors.
“As much as I would love to get a medal one day, I think my first Olympics is going to be challenging, but I am going to give it my best and put Cayman on the map, ensure that there is a female sailor from the Caribbean that despite all odds, proved herself,” she said.
Olympic Committee sends congratulations
The team was confirmed in a press release from the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, Wednesday morning.
“We are so proud of our athletes and look forward to watching them represent the Cayman Islands on a global stage,” interim president Lori Powell said.
“They have dedicated countless hours training, traveling and making the sacrifices necessary to reach the pinnacle of sport. On behalf of the CIOC and the Cayman Islands, congratulations.”
Paris 2024 takes place 26 July – 11 August. Paris is the main host city with events held at 16 other cities throughout France and one in Tahiti.
Cayman Islands Olympic team
Jordan Crooks: Swimming, 100m free, 50m free
Jillian Crooks: Swimming, 100m free
Davonte Howell: Track, 100m sprint
Charlotte Webster: Sailing, women’s dinghy
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I’m so glad Davonte made it, watching him outclass the best Caribbean senior sprinters in the blue riband 100 meters final at Carifta, shows he has a bright future. His time there was 10.15 and he recently ran 10.09. and can only get faster.