Swimmers Jessica Long And Brad Snyder Overcame Fears To Create Magic At The London Paralympics
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Athlete Bio
Getty Images
Height
5'11"
Hometown
Baltimore, MD
classification: S8, SB7, SM8
Long grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, but is originally from Siberia...When she was only 13 months old, she was adopted from a Russian orphanage...Born with fibular hemimelia, she didn’t have fibulas, ankles, heels and most of the other bones in her feet...At 18 months old, her legs were amputated below the knees so she could be fitted for prosthetic legs and learn how to walk...She has been involved in many sports including gymnastics, basketball, cheerleading, ice skating, biking, running, and rock climbing...She learned how to swim in her grandparents’ pool where she would spend hours pretending she was a mermaid...Daughter of Steve & Beth Long...Has five siblings, Amanda, Steven, Joshua, Hannah, and Grace...Joined first competitive swim team at 10 years old...First international competition was the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games...At 12 years old, was the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team in Athens...Winner of 77th AAU James E. Sullivan Award...Three-time (2007, 2012, 2013) recipient of the ESPN Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award...Named to Sports Illustrated’s “The World’s Best Female Athletes"...Twice (2006, 2011) named Disabled Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine...Commented for NBC at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games...Is a leap year baby...Interests include Pilates, reading, interior design, finding new coffee shops and spending time with family.
Paralympic Experience
- Five-time Paralympian (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020); 29-time Paralympic medalist (16 golds, 8 silvers, 5 bronzes)
- Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, gold (100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 4x100-meter medley relay), silver (100-meter breaststroke, 400-meter freestyle), bronze (100-meter backstroke)
- Paralympic Games Rio 2016, gold (200 individual medley), silver (400-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke, 4x100 34 pt. freestyle relay), bronze (100-meter butterfly, 100-meter backstroke)
- Paralympic Games London 2012, gold (400-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley), silver (100-meter backstroke, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle), bronze (34 pt. 4x100-meter medley), 5th (50-meter freestyle)
- Paralympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (400-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley), silver (100-meter backstroke), bronze (100-meter breaststroke), 6th (50-meter freestyle)
- Paralympic Games Athens 2004, gold (400-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle), 5th (50-meter freestyle)
- Second-most decorated Paralympian in U.S. history
World Championship Experience
- Most recent: 2023 – gold (100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley); 4th (100-meter freestyle)
- Years of Participation: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023
- Medals: 54 (37 gold, 15 silver, 2 bronze)
- Gold – 2023 (100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley); 2017 (400-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter medley); 2015 (100-meter butterfly, 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter freestyle); 2006 (50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke, 100-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter medley); 2013 (200-meter individual medley, 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly); 2010 (100-meter backstroke, 200-meter individual medley, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter medley); 2009 (100-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle)
- Silver – 2019 (100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter individual medley, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter medley); 2015 (100-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke), 2013 (100-meter freestyle); 2010 (100-meter breaststroke, 50-meter freestyle); 2009 (100-meter individual medley, 200-meter individual medley, 50-meter freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle)
- Bronze – 2019 (400-meter freestyle); 2013 (34 pt. 4x100-meter freestyle)
I choose to look at my life in a positive way. If I wasn’t missing my legs, I may not have found swimming.
MyStory
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