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Jessica Long competed in 4th Paralympics, won 6 medals in Rio

She's the 2nd-most decorated Paralympian swimmer
Posted at 7:59 PM, Oct 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-28 12:00:41-04

Twenty three years ago, Jessica Long learned to walk without her lower legs. Two months ago, she became the second-most decorated Paralympian swimmer.

Long, 24, was born with fibular hemimelia, resulting in the absence of her lower leg bones. When she was just 18 months old, her lower legs were amputated. Long learned to walk with prosthetics.

Despite being a bilateral amputee, Jess was active as a child. She loved gymnastics, but her parents worried the sport was putting too much stress on her body. They suggested she try a sport that didn't require her to use her prosthetics.

"I'd always loved to swim and it just felt right," she said. "I found out about a swim team in a local newspaper from my grandmother and we went and tried it out."

Although Long only knew two strokes, her love for the water was obvious. Her coach Andrew Barranco, said he tried to keep things as simple as possible.

“It was just eliminating the kick,” he said. “We didn’t have the kick, but she could do everything else. When she first started, she really didn’t know all the strokes, she really didn’t know breast stroke or butterfly. So we really worked on the freestyle and backstroke that she knew and then built the butterfly and breast stroke in.”

Long said not having legs required her make the rest of her stroke perfect.

“I think what really gave me the edge was working with Andrew,” she said. “And we worked on small details. Not having a kick, I had to have really good hand placement, I had to work with what I had and I think I started realizing I was pretty good when I started breaking American records.”

Just two years after the first practice, Long was headed to Athens to compete in her first Paralympics as a 12-year-old.

"She was such a hard worker and such a determined 10-year-old," Barranco said. "To be at the age of 12 in Athens winning three gold medals, setting records is pretty amazing.”

Long won three gold medals in Athens, but she wasn’t done there. In 2008 in Beijing, Long won four gold medals, a silver and a bronze, breaking three world records. In London in 2012, she came away with eight medals in all – five gold, two silver and a bronze.

“When I was 20 in London, I just decided I was going to have a lot of fun,” Long said. “And I did and I had a great trip.”

She said going into Rio, she had grown a lot as a person and a swimmer.

“I’ve never worked so hard and I’m really proud of myself,” Long said.

Long has 23-career Paralympic medals, the second most of any Paralympian swimmer. Andrew said Jess’s determination is what makes her so special.

“The fact that she had such great success at a young age and looking back four Games later, she’s still achieving so much. It’s pretty awesome.”

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Before 10-year-old Long stepped onto that pool deck, Barranco had never coached a Paralympian athlete. Now he’s coached several on his teams.

“The reason I keep being involved in it is it’s just a growing development for our country to be able to see athletes with disabilities compete at a very high level,” he said. “There’s a lot of different athletes that I’ve got to work with that just have inspiring stories of tragedy and how they’ve overcome their challenges.”

And Long is no exception.

“For me growing up my entire life without my lower legs, there’s good days and bad days,” Long said. “There’s still good days and bad days… but what really helps me out is sports and the Paralympics and knowing that I wasn’t alone. And I couldn’t imagine not being involved in the Paralympics.”

She said the Paralympics gave her confidence. Before competing, she shied away from showing off her legs, but being a Paralympian has made her realize she’s been in control all along.

“If I wear shorts and I don’t care, people come up to me and ask me about my story. And that’s great,” Long said.

Long said she couldn’t have made it through four Paralympic games without the support of her family, friends and coaches. She said Rio was particularly special because she shared it with those closest to her.

“I knew when I stood up on the podium every single time in Rio, and I ended up winning my gold medal on the last day, my 23-career medal, it wasn’t just me up there and that’s a really special feeling,” Long said.

Barranco has been along Long’s side since day one and he said she’s about shattering expectations and possibilities.

“I think Jess is about showing what can be done,” he said. “I think as a 10-year-old, as a 12-year-old growing up without legs she knew she stands out, she knew she was limited in some things that she could do and she had a mission to show what she could do and show what people with a disability are capable of.”

For Long, the Paralympics is about inspiration and motivating the younger generation through her story. 

“What I love about being a Paralympic athlete is you do meet the younger generation and I’ve had little girls who are missing their arm or their leg from cancer tell me that I’m their hero. That’s kind of what it’s all about.

Two months after her fourth Paralympic Games, Long isn’t sure what’s next. Right now she’s writing a book with her sister that’s scheduled to be published in the spring of 2018 and just enjoying her free time.

“I’m really just enjoying swimming on my own right now, not having to go to swim practice 10 times a week,” she said. “But at the same time I miss it. I love staying busy and I love setting goals. I’m just going to enjoy the holidays and pick everything back up in January.”

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