The Cayman Islands is bursting with pride and hope today as swimmer Jordan Crooks prepares to make history.
Sports stars, fans, politicians, officials and Olympic legends sent out heartfelt messages of support for the 22-year-old as he becomes the first Caymanian athlete to advance to an Olympic swimming final.
Crooks takes to the pool in Paris Friday afternoon in the 50m freestyle final, having won his semi-final on Thursday.
And he will have the resounding support of more than 80,000 people who call Cayman home propelling him towards the podium.
Chief among them will be his sister Jillian, 18, a fellow Olympian, who competed in the 100m heats earlier this week.
“Congratulations Jordan. The Cayman Islands couldn’t be prouder! Go Jordan! Go Team Cayman!,” she posted on Facebook immediately after the result.
Meanwhile, tributes and well-wishes flooded in to Compass HQ for what is already a performance for the ages.
In a video message to Crooks recorded for the Compass, Steve Broadbelt, the president of the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association, said everyone in Cayman will be “screaming their hearts out for you”.
“We believe in you. You’ve got this. Swim fast,” he said.
Crooks’s former coach Grant Ferguson also weighed in with an ebullient message of support.
“What an incredible swim. Congratulations. Good luck for your finals baby! Go Cayman go,” he said.
One man who knows about the pressure of Olympic competition is 100m sprinter Kemar Hyman, who sent his own message of support for Crooks, saying, “You are already making the country so proud no matter what … continue to be amazing.”
Another Olympian, Craig Merren, who competed for Cayman as a cyclist in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, said, “From one Olympian to another, I wish you all the best. We have waited 48 years to see this come and I hope tomorrow (Friday) will be the triumph for the Cayman Islands people where you have won a medal for these islands.”
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.
Crooks competes in the 50m freestyle final alongside seven other swimmers at 1:30pm Cayman time Friday.
- Reporting by James Whittaker, Seaford Russell and Alvaro Serey
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We are so proud of Jordan Crooks! He may not have a medal but he sure wasgood at representing the Cayman Islands. 4 more years!!!!