Jessica Long - Russia-born United States Paralympics Swimmer

Hi,

Today I am going to share the story of Jessica Long who is Russia-born United States Paralympics Swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland. She is the current world record holder in 13 Paralympic events, including one as part of a relay team.

 

Let me tell you more about her

Jessica Long was born in Siberia and adopted at the age of 13 months. Because of fibular hemimelia, her lower legs were amputated when she was 18 months old. She learned to walk with prostheses. She has been involved in many sports including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, biking, trampoline, and rock climbing. She began swimming in her grandparents' pool before joining her first competitive team in 2002. In 2003, Jessica Long was selected as Maryland Swimming's 2003 Female Swimmer of the Year with a Disability.

She entered the international stage at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, winning three gold medals in swimming.  Only 12 years old at the time, long was the youngest competitor on the U.S. Paralympic Team. She had 18 world record-breaking performances in 2006. She was honored as the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2006 Paralympian of the year and Swimming World Magazine's 2006 Disabled Swimmer of the Year.

In 2008 she won six medals at the Paralympics, including four gold. In addition to her four gold medals, she set three new world records. One of her gold medals was the 100-meter freestyle, which she swam just 0.19 seconds ahead of Paralympic-record-holder and world-record-holder Israeli Keren Leibovitch.

 

Her Major Achievements:

• 2004: Three gold medals, 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
• 2005: Five gold medals, bronze medal, two world records, and named Swimmer of the Meet – 2005 U.S. Paralympics Open Swimming Championships, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 2006: Two world records (100m butterfly, 200m individual medley) – Blaze Sports Georgia Open, Atlanta, Georgia
• 2006: U.S. Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Month – January 2006
• 2006: Five gold medals, silver medal, four world records (50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 400m individual medley) – Can-Am Championships, London, Ontario, Canada
• 2006: Named winner of 77th AAU James E. Sullivan Award
• 2006: Named Disabled Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine
• 2006: Named U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympian of the Year
• 2006: Second place Rock Climbing Speed Climbing – Extremity Games
• 2006: Selected as USA Swimming's Disability Swimmer of the Year (Trischa L. Zorn Award)
• 2006: Two world records (100m butterfly, 200m individual medley) – Belgian Open, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2006: Nine gold medals (100m freestyle – WR, 100m butterfly – WR, 200m individual medley – WR, 400m freestyle – WR, 34pts 4×100m freestyle relay – WR, 50m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 34pts 4×100m medley relay) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships, Durban, South Africa
• 2007: Three world records (200m backstroke, 400m individual medley, 800m freestyle) – Spring Can-Am Swimming Championships, Montreal, Canada
• 2007: Three world records (50m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 1500m freestyle) – GTAC Disability Open, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan
• 2007: Recipient of the ESPN Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award
• 2007: Selected as USA Swimming's Disability Swimmer of the Year (Trischa L. Zorn Award)
• 2007: First place, 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 200m butterfly; second place, 50m freestyle – U.S. Paralympics Open Swimming Championships, College Park, Md.
• 2008: World record, S8 100m butterfly – Can-Am Championships, Victoria, Canada
• 2008: Recipient of Juan Antonio Samaranch IOC Disabled Athlete Award
• 2008: Four gold medals, three world records (400m freestyle - WR, 100m freestyle - WR, 200m individual medley - WR, 100m butterfly); silver medal (100m backstroke); bronze medal (100m breaststroke) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
• 2009: Seven gold medals (100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle) – Spring Can-Am Championships, Gresham, Oregon
• 2009: Seven gold medals (100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle) – Spring Can-Am Championships, Gresham, Oregon
• 2009: Seven gold medals, world record, S8 100m breaststroke – Summer Can-Am Championships, Edmonton, Alberta Canada
• 2009: Four gold medals and world records (100m freestyle – WR, 400m freestyle – WR, 100m breaststroke – WR, 100m butterfly – WR); four silver medals (50m freestyle, 100m individual medley, 200m individual medley, 34 pts 4×100m freestyle relay) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships 25m, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2010: Six gold medals (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke) – Can-Am National Championships, San Antonio, Texas
• 2010: Seven gold medals, two world records (100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley – WR, 34pts 4×100m freestyle relay – WR, 34pts 4×100m medley relay); two silver medals (50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
• 2011: Nine gold medals, four world records (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle - WR, 400m freestyle - WR, 100m butterfly - WR, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley - WR, 34pts 4×100m freestyle relay, 34pts 4×100m medley relay) - Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships, Edmonton, Canada
• 2011: Six gold medals (100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley) - Can-Am Open Swimming Championship, La Mirada, California
• 2011: Named Disabled Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine
• 2012: Won ESPY for Female Athlete with a Disability
• 2012: Five gold medals (100m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m indiv. medley, 100m freestyle); two silver medals (4x100m freestyle 34pts, 100m backstroke); bronze medal (4x100m medley 34pts) - International Paralympic Committee (IPC) - Paralympic Summer Games, London, England
• 2012: Named U.S. Paralympic SportsWoman of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee
• 2013: Won ESPY for Best Female Athlete with a Disability

My friends today she is an inspiration to millions not only in America but also in her native Russia and around the world. She is living proof that you can accomplish your dreams, no matter how great or small. Be Positive think like her and try to get up from bed, do physiotherapy regularly, and make your mind strong. Our life is not over after getting amputated; from here we can make a new start and can achieve what we want. I am here for you guys and I will keep updating relevant information, Real Stories and Details about Advance Technology Prosthetics for you. If you have any questions or queries and need my help on anything you can mail me at jas.singh474@gmail.com. 

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