Jessica Long (born February 29, 1992) is a Russian-born American paralympic swimmer.
Long was born in Siberia and was adopted from a Russian orphanage at the age of 13 months. Because of lower leg anomalies (fibular hemimelia), her legs were amputated when she was 18 months old. She learned to walk with prostheses. Long has been involved in many sports including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, biking, trampoline, and rock climbing. She beg...
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Jessica Long (born February 29, 1992) is a Russian-born American paralympic swimmer.
Long was born in Siberia and was adopted from a Russian orphanage at the age of 13 months. Because of lower leg anomalies (fibular hemimelia), her legs were amputated when she was 18 months old. She learned to walk with prostheses. Long 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. The next year, Long was selected as Maryland Swimming's 2003 Female Swimmer of the Year with a Disability.
At the 2004 Paralympic Games, Jessica Long exploded onto the international scene. As the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic Team, a 12-year-old Long won three gold medals. In 2008, with expectations of a huge medal haul at the Paralympic Games, Long delivered one incredible performance after another to win six medals, including four gold. In...
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