The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee recently announced that the 2024 Summer Olympic Team representing the Cayman Islands in France will be Jordan Crooks & Jillian Crooks for swimming, Charlotte Webster for sailing, and Davonte Howell for athletics.
Swimming
Regarding swimming, the Crooks siblings are no strangers to great performances and success.
One of Jordan Crooks’ many accomplishments is becoming the 50-Metre freestyle world champion at the 2022 FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships. He swam past Ben Proud of the UK and Dylan Carter of Trinidad & Tobago to secure that win.
According to Swim Swam, Jordan is also “one of only two men to ever break 18 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle” and “ranks number two all-time, behind only Caeleb Dressel.”
He is expected to compete in the 50 and 100 Freestyle in the Paris Olympics.
Regarding his younger sister Jillian, Swim Swam said she “has made her second Olympic team, having already made the team back in 2020(1) at the Tokyo Games.”
Swim Swam added, “Like her brother, Jillian has qualified in the 100 Freestyle.”
With a season-best of 55.60 set in June 2024, Jillian is on her way to setting a new Olympic time and will most likely surpass her personal best time of 55.18.
Sailing
Turning to sailing, Charlotte Webster won her place on the Olympic team following her performance at the Pan-American games in Santiago, Chile.
She is expected to continue her winning streak in Marseille, France where she will sail in the women’s single-handed dinghy, international laser sailing Association six -ILCA6 (formally known as radial laser).
She has also trained hard for the Olympics and recently “wrapped up an epic training block in Marseille on the Paris 2024 Olympic waters,” according to her social media page.
Her preparation also included the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) Under 21 World Championships held in Viana do Castelo, Portugal from July 1 to 8, 2024. She finished ahead of over 20 other sailors from Spain, USA, and Germany. Her performance is impressive given that these jurisdictions have access to far more resources than the small islands she is from.
With this competitive experience under her belt, Charlotte will perform well in Marseille, where a total of 330 athletes will be featured in the sailing competition.
Athletics
Representing the Cayman Islands on the Paris track and field will be Davonte Howell, a 100 Metre sprinter at the University of Tennessee.
According to the University of Tennessee, some of Davonte’s accomplishments this year include:
- Helped the Vols punch their ticket into the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 4×100-meter relay with a 38.71 finish, which marked second on Tennessee’s all-time list.
- Ran the third leg of the 4×100-meter team that finished first at the Desert Heat Classic (4/27) with a time of 39.10
- Aided his team to a first place finish in the 4×100-meter realy at the USC Outdoor Open (4/20), crossing the line 39.21
- Ran at the CARIFTA games for the Cayman Islands and won his second straight 100-meter title with a 10.15, which tallied a personal best.
Filled with positive energy and enthusiasm, Davonte is likely to exceed his personal best at the Paris Olympics.
Where to follow Cayman’s Olympians
Fans who wish to support Cayman’s Olympians may follow their competition schedule using the below links:
Swimming
https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/swimming
Sailing
https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/sailing
Athletics
https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/athletics
