Jessica Long

The first thing you notice about Jessica Long is that she’s a cute, spunky, natural athlete. She holds 13 American swimming records and has her sights set next on competitive basketball. Only later do you notice that this 12-year-old is a double amputee.

Jessica became an overnight celebrity after her performance in Athens, Greece at the Paralympic Games. The youngest paralympian in attendance and the youngest to win gold, Long won two individual gold medals in swimming and one gold as part of a relay. Not bad for someone who started swimming just three years ago. “I always liked swimming at my grandparents, but for six years, I did gymnastics,” she says. She did not want to use her prosthetic legs to compete, but her coaches were afraid she’d injure herself without them, so she looked to other sports. “Swimming was really hard at first, but now I’m used to it. When I first started breaking records, I thought, ‘Wow, I’m good.’”

Jessica’s parents, Beth and Steve Long, who live in Middle River, adopted Jessica from Russia knowing that she was born without proper bone structure in her legs. Both legs were surgically removed below the knee upon her arrival in the U.S. When Jessica began swimming with the Dundalk-Eastfield Swim Club, she was the only disabled swimmer surrounded by able-bodied children, but she never backed down from the challenge. “I really didn’t care what anyone thought,” she says.

“Jessica is something else,” says her coach at Dundalk-Eastfield, Stephanie Weisenborn. “Just try to keep up with her. Most people don’t even notice [her missing legs] until she gets out of the pool,” says Weisenborn. “Most people just thought she was a very little girl.”

Although her parents were careful to prepare their young daughter for the possibility of not making the paralympic team, after a stellar performance at the trials in April, this family of eight found themselves scrambling for tickets to Athens. While Jessica trained 12 hours a week, her family waged a fundraising effort to allow Beth, Steve, and four of Jessica’s five siblings to move to a rented apartment near the Olympic Village where Jessica stayed with the other athletes.

It was worth the trip to see Jessica shine in a swimming competition that lasted for nine grueling days. A cool competitor, Jessica says she did not get nervous and didn’t feel too much pressure. “I was really happy to win the gold, but kind of upset that I missed the world record by just that much,” says Jessica, holding her two hands only inches apart to indicate how close she came to the record.

Like any girl her age, Jessica was just as happy hanging out with her friends in the Olympic Village as she was in the pool. Back home, she’s back swimming with her old team and adjusting to her newfound fame. Already, she’s looking ahead to the day when she receives the specially designed running legs that will allow her to explore her newest interests: basketball and triathalons. She also plans to be in Beijing in four years to compete in six events—and bring home six more gold medals.

“Jessica sets goals for herself,” says her mother, Beth. “We tell her it’s OK if she doesn’t meet them, but she usually does what she says she’s going to do.”
—Christianna McCausland