Jordan Crooks: from fisherman to history-making world champion
Before Crooks conquered the world, he had smaller fish to fry, gallivanting around the reefs of his native Cayman Islands or free diving in its surrounding crystal clear waters. Olympics.com finds out more about the Caribbean trailblazer.
Swimming
Jordan Crooks recently swapped the tranquillity of the Cayman Islands for the white-water rush of the 50m freestyle, and a historic swim at December's Short Course World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
The 20-year-old touched the wall just three-hundredths before Great Britain's title holder Ben Proud to become his country's first world champion in any sport.
“It feels great, I feel blessed, and I am really grateful for my God, my coaches, my family and everyone who has helped me along this journey,” Crooks told World Aquatics.
"It means a lot to see this come to light. This is awesome. I looked up to a lot of these guys. It was awesome to be able to race them and to have this experience. They are extremely talented, and I have much respect for every one of them."
Jordan Crooks: Taking the island to the world
After failing to make it past the heats at two previous World Aquatics Championships, Crooks would show he is a force to be reckoned with at his maiden 25m World Championships in December.
He made a huge impact in the 100 free initially, clocking the fastest times in the heats and the semi-finals - both in new national records - ahead of star names like Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers and Romania's teenage sensation David Popovici.
Crooks was unable to repeat those heroics in the final, going out hard and fading into sixth place as Chalmers took gold, but he made amends in the 50 free at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
Once again, he set the fastest times in the heats and semis setting two national records in the process. In his semi-final, he clocked 20.31, the fourth-fastest time in history and over four-tenths quicker than anyone else.
He was not able to swim as fast in the final, but his time of 20.46 was enough to see him become the first male swimmer from the Caribbean to win a world short course title since Cuba's Rodolfo Falcon won the 50m and 100m backstroke in 1999.
And he had another Caribbean swimmer for company on the podium as Trinidad and Tobago’s two-time Olympian Dylan Carter claimed bronze.
For a country with a population of just 79,000, with 69,000 on those on Grand Cayman from where Crooks hails, this was a truly historic moment.
"The Cayman Islands is a very special place, and I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else. I am very grateful for everything they have done for me, and I appreciate them a lot,” Crooks said after the race.
“It’s awesome, and it’s an honour to be in the same conversation with guys like Caeleb (Dressel), Ben (Proud), and Kyle (Chalmers).
“I hope it shows any little kid out there that may doubt themselves because they don’t have a specific resource that it is possible and that there is not a set way to do things and you can kind of carve your own path.”
Jordan Crooks: A meteoric rise
Crooks qualified for the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju as a teenager but finished 78th in the heats of the 100m freestyle.
Three years later in Budapest earlier this year, he showed his improvement by just missing out on the semi-finals in the 100m and 50m freestyle.
He set a national record in the 50 free of 22.20, just shy of the Olympic qualifying time of 21.96 for Paris 2024.
Now Crooks has conquered the shorter pool, he will set his sights on reaching his first Olympic Games and following in the footsteps of his younger sister Jillian who became the Cayman Islands' youngest Olympian at Tokyo 2020 where she also carried the flag.
The 16-year-old impressed in Melbourne too, setting national records in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle although she failed to reach the semi-finals.
As a typical island boy, Crooks started swimming as a toddler born out of a love for the ocean. His affinity for water was deepened through fishing and free diving before formal lessons and competitions started taking precedence.
"I pretty much grew up in the ocean, I live like two seconds from the ocean, I was always into water sports," Crooks told Tennessee Athletics.
“I probably learned to swim when I was about four. I started to compete when I was around 11, but I started taking it seriously around 16."
Crooks’ potential has been further cultivated at the University of Tennessee where he has starred in his first year in the NCAA system. He became the fastest freshman in history over 50 yards, breaking seven-time Olympic champion Dressel’s mark from 2015.
The next two years will prove crucial in Crooks' rise in the global ranks as he looks to translate his 25m pool exploits into success in long course events.
And there is, of course, Paris 2024 where he will bid to win the Cayman Islands' first ever Olympic medal.