IMAGE: OLympics.com

Written by Sports Desk. Posted in Swimming. | 10 May 2025

From SportsMax

Cayman Islands’ swimming sensation Jordan Crooks has revealed he is stepping away from competition—for now. The 23-year-old Olympic finalist and two-time world champion broke the news to followers in a recent Instagram post but stopped short of calling it a retirement.

“For now, I’ll be stepping away from competing. Looking forward to exploring all that life has to offer. Till we meet again,” Crooks shared.

The post marked a significant moment for Cayman Islands sport, as Crooks is widely regarded as the territory’s most decorated athlete. A world-beater in the pool and a fan favourite for his humble demeanor, Crooks has been a national icon since becoming the first Caymanian swimmer to reach an Olympic final.

Though his announcement might signal the end of an era, Crooks has left the door open to a potential return, and his choice of words suggests this may be more of a pause than a full stop. In fact, Crooks hinted at the decision weeks earlier in an interview with SwimSwam, as he did point out that he planned to take a step back and embrace “the NARP life”—a reference to living as a “non-athletic regular person.”

“I’m just going to take a step back and focus on school and just live…relax for a little bit. Get the body and the mind right, and we’ll see what the future holds,” he told the swimming outlet.

The timing of his break comes after a career-defining season. At the recent NCAA Championships, Crooks closed out his collegiate career with a bang, as he reclaimed his title in the 50-yard freestyle and made headlines after breaking Caeleb Dressel’s revered 100-yard freestyle record of 39.90s when he clocked 39.83s, to become just the second man ever to swim sub-40.

Before that, Crooks stunned the swimming world at the 2024 World Short Course Championships, where he became the first man to dip below the 20-second barrier in the 50m freestyle, as he stopped the clock at a jaw-dropping 19.90s.

With the Paris Olympics behind him and the LA28 Games on the horizon, Crooks was widely seen as the face of the Cayman delegation’s next Olympic campaign. But when asked by SwimSwam if another Olympic run was in the cards, Crooks offered a measured response.

“That’s a million-dollar question that we’re still trying to figure out, but we’ll see. We’ll see where it goes. You can never rule it out, and I’m not 100% sure what we’ll do, but I’ll be here in Knoxville for the future, just kind of figuring things out one day at a time. But for now, back to the school grind,” said Crooks, who is currently wrapping up his senior year at the University of Tennessee. 

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