Jessica Long

Jessica Tatiana Long (born February 29, 1992) is an American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held multiple world records and competed at four Paralympic games, winning 23 medals (13 of them gold), making her one of the most successful athletes in Paralympic games history. She has also won over 60 world championship medals.

Jessica Long
Long in 2012
Personal information
Birth nameTatiana Olegovna Kirillova
Full nameJessica Tatiana Long
National team United States
Born (1992-02-29) February 29, 1992[1]
Bratsk, Russia[2]
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) (with prosthetics) 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m) (without prosthetics)
Weight130 lb (59 kg) (with prosthetics) 115 lb (52 kg) (without prosthetics)
WebsiteJessicaLong.org
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesButterfly, Backstroke, Breastroke, Freestyle
ClassificationsS8/SB7/SM8
ClubNorth Baltimore Aquatic Club [3]
CoachPaul Yetter [3]

Early life

Long was born in Bratsk, Russia and adopted at the age of 13 months. Because of fibular hemimelia, her lower legs were amputated when she was 18 months old.[4] 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.[2][5] At the time she was born, her biological mother and father were unwed teenagers, 17 and 18 years old respectively. They later married and had three more children, one of whom is also disabled.[6] Long's adoptive brother, Joshua, was adopted at the same time from the same Siberian orphanage.[6]

International swimming career
Long at the 2016 Paralympics

Long entered the international stage at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, winning three gold medals in swimming. Aged twelve at the time, she was the youngest competitor on the U.S. Paralympic Team.[7] 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.[8]

Long had 18 world record-breaking performances in 2006. Her performance at the 2006 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa where she won nine gold medals for her participation in seven individual medleys and two relays. She also held five world records which made her known from outside the world of Paralympic sport. In 2006, Long became the first Paralympic athlete selected as the AAU's James E. Sullivan Award winner.[7] 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.

Major achievements:

CR: Championship Record; WR: World Record

  • 2004: Three gold medals, 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 4 × 100 m 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 × 100 m freestyle relay – WR, 50m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 34pts 4 × 100 m 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[9]
  • 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, 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 × 100 m 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 × 100 m freestyle relay – WR, 34pts 4 × 100 m 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 × 100 m freestyle relay, 34pts 4 × 100 m 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: Recipient of the ESPN Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award[10]
  • 2012: Five gold medals (100m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m indiv. medley, 100m freestyle); two silver medals (4 × 100 m freestyle 34pts, 100m backstroke); bronze medal (4 × 100 m 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[10]
  • 2013: Three gold medals (100m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 400m Free) – U.S. Paralympics Spring Swimming Nationals/Can-Am, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2013: Three gold medals, world record (200m individual medley, 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly – WR); silver medal (100m freestyle); bronze medal (4X100m freestyle) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 2013: Recipient of the ESPN Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award
  • 2014: Four gold medals (100m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 100m backstroke, 400m freestyle) – U.S. Paralympics Spring Swimming Nationals/Can-Am, Miami, Florida
  • 2014: Six gold medals (100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 4x100 freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200 Individual Medley); two silver medals (100m backstroke, 4X100 medley) – Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships, Pasadena, California[11]
  • 2014: Named Para-Swimming Female Athlete of the Year by swimming news website SwimSwam[12]
  • 2015: Four gold medals (100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle); three silver medals (100m freestyle, 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, 100m backstroke) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships, Glasgow, Scotland[13]
  • 2015: Selected as USA Swimming's Disability Swimmer of the Year (Trischa L. Zorn Award)
  • 2016: One gold medal (200m individual medley SM8); three silver medals (100 m breaststroke SB7, 400 m freestyle S8, 4×100 m freestyle 34 pts ); two bronze medals (100 m butterfly S8, 100 m backstroke S8) International Paralympic Committee (IPC) – Paralympic Summer Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

See also

References
  1. Jessica Long Archived September 22, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. rio2016.com
  2. "Вести.Ru: Русские родители Джессики Лонг рассказали, почему отказались от дочери". Vesti.ru. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  3. Jessica Long, Paralympic Gold Medalist, Transfers from NBAC to Loyola Archived April 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Swimming World Magazine (June 1, 2015)
  4. Forgotten pride Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, 7 September 2012, Siberian Times, Retrieved 9 September 2016
  5. "Honoring Jessica Long". Congressional Record. May 1, 2007. pp. E907–E908. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  6. "The Siberian parents who gave up Jessica Long as a new-born baby salute her heroic achievement". The Siberian Times. September 15, 2012. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  7. "Meet Swimmer Jessica Long". Disability Today Network. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  8. "Paralympic Swimming Continues: U.S. Comes on Strong During Day Two". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  9. "Jessica Long Named Best Female Athlete with a Disability by ESPYs". Swimming World. Sports Publications, Inc. July 17, 2007. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  10. "Jessica Long". Team USA. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  11. "2014 Pan Pacific Para Championships – 8/6/2014 to 8/10/2014 Results" (PDF). Team USA. U.S. Paralympic Association. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  12. Keith, Braden (December 29, 2014). "2014 Swammy Awards: Para-Swimming Female Athlete of The Year Jessica Long". Swim Swam Partners, LLC. Universal Sports Network. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  13. "Glasgow 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships". Official website of the Paralympic Movement. The International Paralympic Committee (Swimming). Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Sarah Reinertsen
Mallory Weggemann		 Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award
2007
2012, 2013		 Succeeded by
Shay Oberg
Jamie Whitmore
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