Crooks sets personal best in Tokyo heats
(CNS): Jillian Crooks placed second on her heat and set a personal best time of 57.32 in the 100m freestyle heats in Tokyo in a stunning performance for the young swimmer which also set a new CIASA and national record. Despite this great Olympic debut, the 15-year-old swimmer will not advance to the semi-finals. However, with such a great performance under her belt, Crooks will be delighted with the result at a games that is proving a challenge for some of the world’s best athletes.
According to her Facebook page. Crooks said that competing “was such an amazing experience that she cried happy tears upon exiting the pool”. Brett Fraser, who will be the next Cayman Olympian to perform on Friday, was there to cheer her on as she swam.
See Crooks (Lane 3) swim in her heat on Facebook here.
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Category: Local News, Sports
For the life of me I cannot figure out why Cayman does not have a 50 metre pool!
Doesn’t have the be Olympic spec in terms of width, but a decent facility is long overdue.
What an achievement considering our Government has invested next to nothing in this sport and expects the private sector and non- profits to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to athlete development. Maybe Bernie will make up for Julie OC sitting on her ass at the DOS for the last 8 years kyboshing the completed 50M pool plans presented multiple times to CIG by CIASA. I guess that 25M pool in Cayman Brac serving a handful of swimmers will continue to eat up the funds needed to build a proper facility that will serve hundreds of shareholders in Grand Cayman.
This young lady will be going a lot further in Paris 2024, a great ambassador for the Cayman Islands.
These negative comments says a lot.
Mental health is a serious topic.
While I think it’s great that Cayman has a team in the Olympics I would like to know how they are getting home.
This is not medical or educational travel and they are now not able to fly home.
While I think this restriction on travel is a joke …. I want MR PM to explain.
Cayman athletes should really be competing under the GB banner, as many of the other dependencies are.
Fifteen years old… and an Olympian.
There is a very tiny percentage of people on Planet Earth who fit into that category.
Congrats!
Actually, the youngest Olympic medalist was but 10 years old.
The poster did say tiny percentage- that means few. Congratulations Jillian. Keep soaring
3.08pm there is a 12 year old in the table tennis competition.
As well as a 12 year old skateboarder, a couple of 13 year olds, etc. There is a 15 year old in the final of the women’s 800 freestyle.
The downvoters are lumps of wood who probably can’t run the length of themselves and are battering the door down at Subway, Burger King and Wendys every morning for a ‘nutritious’ breakfast. Well done to all the Caymanian athletes involved. You’ve done yourselves and this wee island proud. To the naysayers, have another pie and stay off the keyboard.
Congrats Ms. Brooks and Team Cayman. Making it to the Olympics as a competitor is success in itself!
No. Getting an invitation is not the same as earning a place with a qualifying time.
Congrats however on setting a new local record.
Do you realize that her time would have won the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics? A time when the East Germans were injecting steroids into their athletes daily.
Have you ever done anything better than other people were doing in 1972? Inane and ad nauseam comments excepted.
That’s great. All we need now is a working Delorean
7.11pm Commenting without comprehension is really embarrassing. First of all Jillian did make it to the Olympics as a competitor; and invited competitor but a competitor non the less. In other words..she was not invited as a referee, judge, security officer; she was invited there to compete as a swimmer. That is , as a competitor .
Second place is not bad at all! Especially considering who she was up against. Quite an achievement! Well done!!
41st
In the world. I would settle for that.
In the 2020 Olympics. The 200th ranked swimmer in there world currently has a time of 54.65. The official rankings do not go further than that.
What was your all times again and what Olympics did you guyd go to? Jesus, be happy for her. So many put me downers in Cayman!
To 3.52pm Not sure what your problem is; I suppose you’re just a pessimist. So she finished 41st out of 56 swimmers in these heats. She is 15 years old and improving which is borne out by the fact that she set a new personal best for herself. There is a little memory gem that comes to mind from my childhood and it goes like this:
Good, better, best.
Never let them rest,
Until your good becomes better,
And your better becomes best.
On this occasion Jillian made her personal best better . I dont know her personally but I was up at 5.00 to watch her and she made me proud. Keep up the hard work Jillian. Proud of you.
A fine effort. Well done. What an experience for you!
Are there two people on her disliking these comments for real.
Jillian is a really nice hard-working kid. She and Brett plus all the other athletes are to be commended.
Good job Jillian, glad you were able to PB!
Unfortunately, there will always be trolls who dislike positive comments and even messages of condolences after tragedies. They’re often immature teenagers who get a cheap thrill out of the your reaction to them so just ignore them.
Well done. Keep striving.
Well done Jillian excellent result! Its too bad the british commentator didnt even recognize or mention his colonial dependant Olympian. WOW!
11.30am I entirely agree with your first sentence. Not the time to criticise the commentator who was having to deal with hundreds of swimmers in the same session.Get that chip off your shoulder!.
No chip old buddie he did not have a problem talking up the North Macedonian swimmer and her age he was all over that ! We know exactly what time it is !
Colonial dependant? Really. Want to educate me on when Cayman has been dependent on the UK for anything other than the vaccine bail out and occasionally – very occasionally- holding our politicians in check ( usually when they want to do something that might contradict UK policy or embarrass it). Not seeing a lot of dependency in the relationship but perhaps you can educate me. Seeing as I am a dumb colonial dependent and all.
Great work Jillian, Cayman is proud of you.
Congrats Jillian. So proud of you!!! #teamcayman
Great achievement. Keep going.
Jillian is as sweet as she is talented.
Congrats, Jillian. You made Cayman proud! 🙂