By Sharon Robb
MELBOURNE, Australia, December 17, 2022—It was a historical day for Caribbean swimmers Saturday night at the 16th FINA Short Course World Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre.
University of Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks won the Cayman Islands’ first-ever gold medal at the world championships after winning the men’s 50-meter freestyle in 20.46.
Crooks, who grew up swimming in a 25-meter pool in the Cayman Islands, knocked off British defending champion Ben Proud and Australia’s Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers.
It was the first time since 1999 that a male swimmer from the Caribbean won a World short course gold medal when Rodolfo Falcon of Cuba won the 50 and 100 backstroke in Hong Kong.
Brooks was joined on the podium by another Caribbean swimmer, Dylan Carter of Trinidad & Tobago who took third in 20.72. It was the first medal for the Plantation American Heritage alum at worlds after two other attempts. Carter is only the second swimmer from his homeland to win a medal at worlds.
“I definitely had a bit of fire in me I wanted to come and show my hand in finals and I am very happy with how it played out,” Crooks said.
“I think it means a lot. The Cayman Islands is a very special place. I wouldn’t have grown up in any other place. I am very grateful for everything they have done for me as a person and swimmer.
“I hope it shows any little kid out there that may doubt themselves and may think that because they don’t have a specific resource that they might not be able to do it that it is possible. There is no set way of doing things, you can carve your own path.”
Carter had won this event at all three Swimming World Cup stops. His fellow countryman George Bovell won a bronze medal in the 100 IM in 2012. It was his nation’s fourth medal at worlds.
“I am happy to come away with something coming down here,” Carter said. “It was really fun. Proud of Jordan, you know, to have two Caribbean athletes in the men’s 50 final – that’s brand new. So both of us on the podium…that’s massive for the region and for serving the region, especially in the men’s 50 freestyle, which is, you know, arguably the fastest, well the fastest event in the pool so proud of that.”
Three more world records tumbled on Saturday with Australia and Italy breaking them in the women’s and men’s 4×50-meter medley relay. Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte broke the 50-meter breaststroke world record in the semifinals in 28.37, taking 2/10ths off SOFLO’s Alia Atkinson’s world record of 28.56 set in 2018.
Australia (Mollie O’Callaghan, Chelsea Hodges, Emma McKeon and Madison Wilson) won the women’s relay in 1:42.35, 3/100ths off the 2018 record the U.S. set. The U.S. took silver in 1:42.41 with Claire Curzan, Lilly King, Torri Huske and Kate Douglass.
Italy’s team of Lorenzo Mora, Nicolo Martinenghi, Matteo Rivolta and Leonardo Deplano set the world record at 1:29.72, lowering their own mark of 1:30.14 from last year to become the first team faster than 90 seconds in the relay.
Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri won the inaugural title in the 800-meter freestyle in 7:29.99.
American Hali Flickinger won the 400-meter individual medley in 4:26.51 for her first individual gold of worlds.
Japan’s Daiya Seto also made history with his six-peat in the men’s 400-meter individual medley in 3:55.75, the fastest of any of his six gold medals in the event. His streak began in 2012 when he was only 18.
Aussie Emma McKeon won her second gold medal of the night in the 50-meter freestyle in 23.04, an Oceania record.
In his final appearance at the meet, South Florida Aquatic Club’s 2020 Honduran Olympian Julio Horrego finished the 50-meter breaststroke prelims in 27.71.
The meet, which ends Sunday, is being live streamed on FINA’s YouTube channel. Meet prelims are 7 p.m. EST. Finals each day are 3:30 a.m. EST. Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com