Jordan Crooks
Jordan Crooks is a Caymanian competitive swimmer who specialises in sprint freestyle events. He made history by winning the first medal of any colour—and the first gold medal—for the Cayman Islands at a world championships in any sport at the 2022 [FINA World Swimming Championships |2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships].
Crooks is a multiple-time world champion and world record holder and holds numerous List of [Cayman Islands records in swimming|national records] for the Cayman Islands. He is widely regarded as the most successful swimmer in the nation’s history.
Career
Crooks qualified for the 2022 [World Aquatics Championships] in Budapest and the 2022 FINA [World Swimming Championships |2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships] in Melbourne.At the 2022 short course world championships, he won the gold medal in the men’s 50 metre freestyle, defeating defending champion Ben Proud.
At the 2024 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Crooks successfully defended his world title in the 50 metre freestyle. In the semifinals, he set a new world record of 19.90 seconds, becoming the first swimmer to break the 20-second barrier in the event.
Collegiate career
Crooks competes collegiately for the University of Tennessee. During his freshman season, he set school freshman records in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle.On 21 February 2024, Crooks became the second man in history to swim under 18 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle at the SEC Championships, setting a pool record at Auburn University’s James E. Martin Aquatics Center.