Jordan Crooks has made history in becoming the first Caymanian swimmer to advance to an Olympic final with the nation’s hopes of achieving its first medal at those games finally feeling within reach.
Crooks finished his men’s 50-metre freestyle semi-finals in first place, clocking 21.54 – the fourth fastest time heading into the final, which is scheduled for tomorrow.
“[I got] to the the final like I wanted,” Crooks said after his race. “So hopefully we can, you know, rest, recover and feel better for tomorrow.”
Crooks got off to a blazing start at the Paris La Defense Arena and kept the lead in a historic finish for his country, besting Caeleb Dressel and Maxime Grousset.
Prior to Crooks advancing to the final, Brett Fraser reached the highest place by a Caymanian swimmer at the Olympics when he finished 12th at the 2012 Summer Games in London.
Track-and-field sprinter Cydonie Mothersill is the only other Caymanian who has advanced to an Olympic final. She finished eighth at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.
This national moment of pride in the French capital comes on the heels of Crooks setting a new Cayman record time of 21.51 seconds earlier in the day during his heat.
Fans on social media have been showing an overwhelming amount of support to Crooks which isn’t something he is taking for granted.
“It means a lot. I’m grateful for all the support so far … So thank you for everybody at home who has been doing an awesome job supporting and hopefully I can make everyone proud tomorrow.”
Crooks won gold in the 50-metre freestyle event at the 2022 FINA Short Course World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, becoming Cayman’s first world champion in any sport.
Among his many medal-winning performances throughout his career, Crooks, an NCAA champion, is also one of two swimmers in history to ever go sub-18 in the 50-yard free – Olympic 50m record holder Dressel being the other.
Now making the Olympic final in Paris, Crooks is arguably the most decorated and accomplished athlete from his country.
When asked what his expectations were heading into the finals, the ever-humble Crooks responded: “Not a specific time [or] anything in mind, just the best race I can put together tomorrow. And hopefully it works out that way.
“I’m just very grateful to be able to represent Cayman.”
Cayman at the Olympics: How and where to watch
Friday
Men’s 50m freestyle final (medal event): 1:30pm on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
Saturday
Men’s 100m prelims: 3:35 am on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
- CBC, Eurosport and BBC are also carrying similar coverage for those that have access. If you know of any other channels to access Cayman athletes at the Olympics from Cayman let us know by emailing [email protected].
- Further updates on Team Cayman schedule to follow later in the week.
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