Jessica Long
Jessica Long (born February 29, 1992) is an American paralympic swimmer.
[edit] Personal Profile
By the age of 14, Long has already accomplished what many swimmers would hope to do in a career. With the way she has been breaking records, she may just be getting started. Long had 18 world record-breaking performances in 2006, and is the current world record holder in 12 events (one as part of a relay).
Long burst onto the international stage at the 2004 Paralympic Games, winning three gold medals. Only 12 years old at the time, Long was the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic Team.
Long was born in Siberia and was adopted from a Russian orphanage at the age of 13 months. Because of lower leg anomalies, her legs were amputated when she was 18 months old. She learned to walk with prostheses and has been unstoppable ever since. Long has been involved in many sports including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, biking, trampoline, and, of course, she loves to swim. She began swimming in her grandparent’s pool before joining her first competitive team in 2002. The next year, Long was selected as Maryland Swimming’s 2003 Female Swimmer with a Disability of the Year.
[edit] Major Achievements
- 2007: Named winner of 77th AAU James E. Sullivan Award
- 2006: Named U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympian of the Year
- 2006: Named Disabled Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine
- 2006: Nine gold medals (100m free - WR, 100m fly - WR, 200m IM - WR, 400m free - WR, 34-pt. 4x100m free relay - WR, 50m free, 100m back, 100m breast, 34-pt. 4x100 medley relay) - International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships, Durban, South Africa
- 2006: Two world records (100m fly, 200m IM) - Belgian Open, Antwerp, Belgium
- 2006: Five gold medals, silver medal, four world records (50m breast, 50m fly, 200m breast, 400m IM) - Can-Am Championships, London, Ontario, Canada
- 2006: U.S. Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Month - January 2006
- 2006: Two world records (100m fly, 200m IM) - Blaze Sports Georgia Open, Atlanta, Ga.
- 2005: Five gold medals, bronze medal, two world records - 2005 U.S. Paralympics Open Swimming Championships, Minneapolis, Minn. **Named Swimmer of the Meet
- 2004: Three gold medals - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
