“Broadbelt Shatters Records in Thrilling Cayman Swimming Showdown!”

Amid the enthusiasm surrounding the Cayman swimmers at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, Sierrah Broadbelt was breaking records of her own in the United Kingdom.

Broadbelt, aged 16, concluded her season at the annual Winter Championships in Sheffield, while her fellow Cayman athletes Kyra Rabess, and Jordan and Jillian Crooks achieved notable success against the world’s finest in Budapest.

For Broadbelt, she faced significant competition at the Ponds Forge Area, where more than 1,200 swimmers, including Olympians, world champions, and top-tier athletes, convened from December 5-8.

Broadbelt was entered into seven events against formidable foes, competing in the 200 meter, 100m and 50m butterfly; 50m and 100m backstroke; and 200m and 100m individual medley.

Among those events, she established national records in the 200m butterfly, 100m backstroke, and in the 100m individual medley.

“As a six-time finalist, achieving three Cayman Islands senior national records along with a 15-17 age group record, this was an exceptionally successful meet for me that I had been diligently preparing for and aimed at since the beginning of the season,” Broadbelt expressed to the Compass.

The emerging swimming talent excelled in the 200m butterfly B final, finishing with a time of 2:14.27 – a new national record.

In the 100m butterfly B final, she secured fourth place, completing the race in 1:00.66, before her 50m butterfly event, where she exhibited an impressive performance throughout the preliminaries, qualifying her for the A final against some of the top swimmers in the region. She ended up ninth in that race with a time of 27.33 seconds.

For her backstroke events, Broadbelt reached the wall in the B final of the 50m at 28.03, which was sufficient for second place, but in the 100m backstroke, she recorded a time of 1:01.54, setting a new national record.

She was not finished with breaking records. Broadbelt then established a Cayman 15-17 age group record in the 200m individual medley, clocking in at 2:20.18, followed by her performance in the 100m individual medley, where she finished in 1:04.66, setting another national record.

As soon as Broadbelt completed her events, she shifted her attention to support her compatriot Jordan Crooks as he accomplished remarkable feats as one of the world’s leading swimmers.

Broadbelt, who was among the audience welcoming Crooks back, expressed her pride in seeing him perform, which also ignited her motivation.

“Witnessing him achieve a world record and become a two-time world champion fills me with confidence and belief in myself, recognizing that he hails from the Cayman Islands just like I do,” she remarked. “It inspires me to think that I can achieve similar greatness. It’s truly motivational.”

Broadbelt stated that she will now concentrate on long-course training starting in January as part of her preparations for the CARIFTA Swimming Championships – a competition she has excelled in previous years.