Though Jordan Crooks no doubt stole the show during the 2024 World Aquatic Championships, a pair of Caymanian women also shone in their events, setting records of their own in Budapest.
Kyra Rabess and Jillian Crooks were not lost in appreciation for their efforts on the world stage and they admitted that they have felt the love from their people during and after their races, in which they each set two national records.
Crooks, 18, arrived home on Tuesday, 17 Dec., to a grand welcome from the community at the Owen Roberts International Airport, where she told the Compass that the experience over the last several days has been nothing short of phenomenal.
“This event meant a lot,” Crooks said. “Being a freshman at University of Tennessee, a new Lady Vol, learning from my older brother, it meant a lot.”
She is highly touted as the next mega star for Cayman – it must run in the blood – and she proved that her ability to improve her skills in the pool is on an upward trajectory during World Championships.
Crooks stepped up on Wednesday, 11 Dec., and delivered a personal best swim, finishing her 100m free heat in a time of 54.13 seconds – a new national record.
She then went on to swim the 50m free on Saturday, 14 Dec., finishing heat six in first place at 24.70 seconds. That time was another national record and placed her 30th overall out of 99 swimmers registered for that event.
“I felt very happy, and I was also thinking back about my dad cheering for me back home and my mom being there, and just all the work that I put in,” Crooks recalled after seeing that she broke the national record in her 50m final.
Crooks’ countrywoman, Rabess, was also on a mission to better herself across the 400m and 800m swims and she did not disappoint.
Rabess, 20, swam the 800m free heat, and won in a national record time of 8:46.13. The day before, Rabess had displayed similar efforts in her 400m free heats which she won in a time of 4:14.77, to break her previous national record of 04:15.78.
Her swim was good enough to place her 29th overall in that event out of 41 swimmers.
Neither Rabess nor Crooks moved on to the semi-finals for either of their events, but they proved once more that they can still hang with the world’s best while bearing the Cayman Islands flag proudly.
Related Videos
