MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — She is the face of her sport and was among the best in the world before some athletes here even started competing. Now she is in Minneapolis hoping to win a trip to Paris to once again lead the U.S. team.
And her name is not Simone Biles.
Jessica Long is a Paralympic swimmer who has won an incredible 29 medals in five Paralympics since 2004.
At age 12, Long was an outsider who unexpectedly won three gold medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Today, 20 years later, she is the country’s most famous Paralympic swimmer.
“And now I’m 32,” Long said. “I feel like I’m 32 and I’m happy to still be here and be a part of it.”
She filmed a Super Bowl commercial with team sponsor Toyota and is featured in a Paralympics ad wrapped around a Grand Highlander outside the aquatics center on the University of Minnesota campus, where the swimming competitions are held.
Long was born with fibular hemimelia, a genetic condition that occurs during pregnancy and left her missing her fibula, ankles and most of the bones in her feet. At 18 months of age, her legs were amputated just below the knees.
After each race, Long gets out of the pool, sits on a folding chair next to one of the outside lanes, and dries off. Sometimes, when the next race is about to start, she waits until it starts and then puts her prosthetic legs back on with the white Hoka shoes. Then she walks away and prepares for her next race.
“I never wanted to just be good or great, I really want to be a legend,” Long said. “It’s one thing to get to the top, but I’ve worked so hard for so long to stay at the top.”
Erin Popovich was Long’s teammate in 2004 and 2008 and is now deputy director of Paralympic swimming for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
“It’s exciting to see the longevity of her career,” Popovich said. “Swimming is a tough sport and it’s really incredible that you can take care of your body properly over such a long period of time.”
During the three trials, Long competes in several races each day. She said Thursday was her toughest competition after the 100-meter breaststroke and backstroke, although she placed first in her class in both races.
“Those are definitely the two that my body struggles with the most, especially rotation and stuff, just that bite and quickness,” Long said.
She relies on the support of her husband, family and teammates as she prepares. She is originally from Baltimore but lives away from her family in Colorado Springs at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, which provides athletes with a 45,000-square-foot aquatic center.
But the most important thing it offers is a community through its resident programs. Long trained with teammates McKenzie Coan, Julia Gaffney and Colleen Young in the lead-up to the Trials.
Long thrives under pressure, but during the Tokyo Paralympics, despite winning six medals, she struggled mentally with the absence of her family and closest supporters. Having a crowd there again and hearing the cheers as she makes her way to the starting block gives her a sense of comfort.
“When the lights come on and the race begins, she is always ready to go and wants to perform at her best,” said Popovich.
On Sunday, 21 female and 12 male athletes will be selected for the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team. Long has worked hard to put herself in a position to deepen her legacy, but she’s not just interested in winning more medals.
“I definitely want the Paralympics,” Long paused to cheer on a teammate, “to continue to grow. I think we still have a long way to go.”
The publicity and attention is focused on Biles and the gymnastics competitions taking place across town at the Target Center – the airport is decorated with banners promoting the gymnasts, while the para-athletes receive little attention.
Long is not complaining, but hopes that the Olympic and Paralympic swimming trials can be held together at some point. The Olympic swimming trials have already been completed – they took place in Indianapolis.
“If other countries can figure out how to combine studies, I think that has to be our next step,” she said.
Long intends to “slowly retire” after the 2028 Games in Los Angeles and wait for the next star of the US team to emerge.
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Amanda Vogt is a student at Penn State’s John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Amanda Vogt, Associated Press
