Jessica Long

Started: She began swimming in her grandparents' pool and joined her first competitive team at age 10. (prnewswire.com, 20 Jun 2019) Reason: She was originally keen on gymnastics, but due to the damage it was doing to her knees and prosthetic legs, her parents encouraged her to take up swimming instead. "I'd always loved to swim and it just felt right. My grandmother found a clipping in a local newspaper about a local swim team and we just decided to try it out. The thing that sold me was that I didn't have to wear prosthetics." (publiclibrariesonline.org, 12 Jul 2018; abc2news.com, 27 Oct 2016; highschoolrivals.com, 04 Jun 2008) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 and 2028 Paralympic Games. (onherturf.nbcsports.com, 24 Feb 2021; teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2018) Awards: She received the 2015 Trischa L. Zorn Award, given by USA Swimming for the outstanding performance of the year by a Para swimmer. (usaswimming.org, 03 Oct 2015) She was named Best Female Athlete with an Impairment at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly [ESPY] Awards in the United States of America in 2007, 2012 and 2013. (swimswam.com, 18 Jul 2013; teamusa.org, 12 Jul 2012) She was named the 2011/12 Paralympic Sportswoman of the Year by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee [USOPC]. (teamusa.org, 17 Sep 2012) In 2008 she received the Juan Antonio Samaranch International Olympic Committee [IOC] President's Para Athlete Award. (paralympic.org, 14 May 2008) In 2007 she became the first Para athlete to win the Amateur Athletic Union's Sullivan Award, which is given to the best amateur athlete in the United States of America. (US Paralympics, 04 Mar 2010) She was named the 2006 Paralympian of the Year by USOPC. (paralympic.org, 14 May 2008) Additional Info: BREAK She took a break from competition after the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and missed the 2022 World Championships in Madeira, Portugal. "It felt too soon to go and race. It's really hard when you're expected to constantly win and perform. I want to go and present my absolute best. Mentally, I was feeling a little negative." She returned to competition in late 2022. (nbcsports.com, 27 Dec 2022) POST-RIO STRUGGLES After competing at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she reached out to US swimmer Allison Schmitt for advice as she was struggling with her mental health. She was affected by shoulder injuries in the lead-up to the Games in 2016 and says the disruption to her training also led to her developing an eating disorder. "I look back at pictures, and I just look sick. In my mind, it was the thing that was going to make me fast. I had no control over my life. I feel like Rio 2016 was my worst performance, and really my burnout. It was my low point, and I remember reaching out to her [Schmitt], and I said, 'I'm just not getting better'. In the Olympics you sometimes hear about the 'post-Olympic blues' which supposedly comes afterwards, but ends at six months. For me it was still the same at seven and eight months on, and I don't even like the word 'depressed' but I was so sad. For swimming, we don't really have an offseason, and after Rio I realised that I had been swimming consistently almost every single day since I was 10 years old. I decided I needed to step back and take a break, and come back after that. But reaching out to Schmitty, who is a gold medallist and super tight with Michael [Phelps], hearing from her was really special. Even though I've won a lot of medals and performed well, from a mental health aspect, you have to realise your worth outside of swimming." (forbes.com, 24 Aug 2021; si.com, 23 Aug 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES She authored a children's book called 'The Mermaid with No Tail', which was published in 2023. "This adorable book is based on my personal journey, the book celebrates the importance of dreaming big and the power of being different. It is my hope to inspire children everywhere to believe that the thing that makes you different can also be your greatest gift." She previously co-wrote a book called 'Unsinkable' with her sister Hannah, while in June 2018 a photographic memoir about her life was published. In February 2021 her life story featured in a 60-second television advert that was aired in the United States of America during the NFL Super Bowl. "It's such an emotional spot [advert], it's so raw. [Featuring during the Super Bowl] is just so cool. It's one of my top three moments." (amazon.co.uk, 01 Nov 2023; Instagram profile, 15 Mar 2023; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 27 Jun 2018; teamusa.org, 28 Mar 2018; olympics.nbcsports.com, 07 Feb 2021; paralympic.org, 08 Feb 2021) EARLY DAYS Born in Siberia, Russian Federation, she was adopted by US couple Beth and Steve Long from an orphanage at 13 months old. In 2013 she travelled to the Russian Federation and met with her biological parents. "I really dreamed of this moment. My parents in the US always told me that I was adopted. It's never been a secret to me." (dreamon.world, 19 Mar 2018; dailymail.co.uk, 16 Dec 2013; siberiantimes.com, 07 Dec 2013)