Jessica Long

Last updated

Jessica Long
Jessica Long.jpg
Long in 2012
Personal information
Birth nameTatiana Olegovna Kirillova
Full nameJessica Tatiana Long
National teamFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1992-02-29) February 29, 1992 (age 33) [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)
Website jessicalong.com
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Butterfly, Backstroke, Breastroke, Freestyle
Classifications S8/SB7/SM8
Club North Baltimore Aquatic Club [3]
CoachPaul Yetter [3]
Medal record
Event1st2nd3rd
Paralympic Games 1785
World Championships (LC) 33112
World Championships (SC) 440
Total54237
Women's para swimming
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens 100m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2004 Athens 400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2004 Athens 4×100m freestyle relay 34pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing 100m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2008 Beijing 400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2008 Beijing 100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2008 Beijing 200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 London 100m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2012 London 400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2012 London 100m breaststroke SB7
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2012 London 100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2012 London 200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo 200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2020 Tokyo 4×100m medley relay 34pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2020 Tokyo 100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Paris 400 m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2024 Paris 100 m butterfly S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2008 Beijing 100m backstroke S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2012 London 100m backstroke S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2012 London 4x100m freestyle relay 34 pts
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2016 Rio de Janeiro 400m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2016 Rio de Janeiro 100m breaststroke SB7
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100m freestyle relay 34pts
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2020 Tokyo 400m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2020 Tokyo 100m breaststroke SB7
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2008 Beijing 100m breaststroke SB7
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2012 London 4x100m medley relay 34 pts
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2016 Rio de Janeiro 100m backstroke S8
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2016 Rio de Janeiro 100m butterfly S8
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2020 Tokyo 100m backstroke S8
IPC Swimming World Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban50m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban100m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban100m backstroke S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban100m breaststroke SB7
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2006 Durban4x100m medley relay 34pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Eindhoven 100m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Eindhoven400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Eindhoven100m backstroke S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Eindhoven100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Eindhoven200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Eindhoven4x100m freestyle relay 34 pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2010 Eindhoven4x100m medley relay 34 pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Montreal 400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2013 Montreal 100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2013 Montreal 200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Glasgow 400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2015 Glasgow 100m breaststroke SB7
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2015 Glasgow 100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Glasgow 200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Mexico City 100m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City 400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City 100m backstroke S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City 100m breaststroke SB7
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City200m medley SM8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City4x100m freestyle relay 34 pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Mexico City4x100m medley relay 34 pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Manchester 100m butterfly S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2023 Manchester 200m medley SM8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2010 Eindhoven50m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2010 Eindhoven100m breaststroke SB7
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2013 Montreal 100m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2015 Glasgow 100m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2015 Glasgow 100m backstroke S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2015 Glasgow 4x100m freestyle relay 34 pts
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 London 100m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2019 London 100m butterfly S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2019 London 200m medley SM8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2019 London 4x100m freestyle relay 34 pts
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2019 London 4x100 m medley relay 34 pts
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2013 Montreal 4x100 m freestyle relay 34 pts
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2019 London 400m freestyle S8
IPC Swimming World Championships (SC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro400m freestyle S8
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro100m breaststroke SB7
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro100m butterfly S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro50m freestyle S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro100m backstroke S8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro200m medley SM8
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2009 Rio de Janeiro4x100m freestyle relay 34 pts

Jessica Tatiana Long PLY (born February 29, 1992) is a Russian-born American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held many world records and competed at six Paralympic Games, winning 31 medals (18 of them gold). She has won over 50 world championship medals.

Contents

Early life

Long was born Tatiana Olegovna Kirillova in Bratsk, Russia. At the time she was born, her mother and father were unwed teenagers, 18 and 17 years old respectively. She was adopted by American parents at the age of 13 months. [4] Because of fibular hemimelia, her lower legs were amputated when she was 18 months old. [5] 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 with a Disability of the Year. [6] Long trained with the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

Long's brother, Joshua, was adopted at the same time from the same Siberian orphanage. [7]

International swimming career

Long at the 2016 Paralympics Jessica Long Rio2016c.jpg
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. [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. [8] 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.

In June 2021 the US announced the 34 Paralympic swimmers who would be going to the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. Long was named as the lead for the women's team of McKenzie Coan, Elizabeth Marks, Rebecca Meyers and Mallory Weggemann. [9]

On April 14, 2022, Long was named to the roster to represent the United States at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. [10] On April 29, 2023, Long was named to the roster to represent the United States at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships. [11]

At the 2024 Summer Paralympics Long won two gold medals. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committee barred Long from the 2024 Summer Paralympics Closing Ceremony after Long questioned Christie Raleigh Crossley's disability on social media and allegations of long term bullying were made. Long also received a suspension from the US Paralympic Swimming National Team. [12]

Major achievements:

CR: Championship Record; WR: World Record

A special NBC broadcast in 2014, Long Way Home, followed Long's journey to meet her biological parents. [18] The story of her adoption was portrayed in a Toyota ad, titled Upstream, which ran as a Super Bowl commercial in 2021 and during the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics. [19] [20]

See also

Bibliography

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. 1 2 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. "Американская паралимпийская чемпионка Джессика Лонг приехала в Россию, чтобы встретиться с матерью".
  5. Forgotten pride Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , September 7, 2012, Siberian Times, Retrieved September 9, 2016
  6. "Honoring Jessica Long". Congressional Record. May 1, 2007. pp. E907 –E908. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  7. "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.
  8. 1 2 "Meet Swimmer Jessica Long". Disability Today Network. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  9. "United States name 34 swimmers on Tokyo 2020 Paralympic team". www.insidethegames.biz. June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  10. Gowdy, Kristen (April 14, 2022). "U.S. Paralympics Swimming Nominates 25 athletes to World Championship Roster". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  11. Overend, Riley (April 29, 2023). "U.S. Paralympics Swimming Selects 22 (Including Just 6 Men) for 2023 Worlds Roster". swimswam.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  12. Stubbs, Roman; Maese, Rick (September 18, 2024). "Four U.S. Paralympians disciplined for online comments about teammate". Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  13. "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.
  14. 1 2 "Jessica Long". Team USA. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  15. "2014 Pan Pacific Para Championships – 8/6/2014 to 8/10/2014 Results" (PDF). Team USA. U.S. Paralympic Association. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  16. 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.
  17. "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.
  18. "'LONG WAY HOME: THE JESSICA LONG STORY'".
  19. "Jessica Long Ad a Feel-Good Moment of Super Bowl". Swimming World News . February 8, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  20. Toyota TV Spot, 'Upstream' Featuring Jessica Long [T1] . Retrieved June 8, 2025 via www.ispot.tv.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award
2007
2012, 2013
Succeeded by