Jessica Long
Jessica Long
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- 13x Paralympic Swimming Gold Medalist
- 23 career Paralympic Medals – the second most decorated U.S. Paralympian in history
- The Rio 2016 Paralympics was Jessica’s fourth consecutive Games
- Broke the 400m and 800m free S8 world records at the 2015 Internationale Deutsche Meisterschaften (IDM) in Berlin
- 3x ESPY Award Winner for “Best Female Athlete with a Disability”
- First and only Paralympic athlete to win the AAU James E. Sullivan Award
- 2015 Nominee for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year Award
EXPERIENCE
Jessica has dominated Paralympic swimming over the last decade. Her success in the pool and inspiring story of adoption has made her one of the most recognized, respected disabled athletes in the world. On November 15, 2018 she was named one of Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” for Sports.
Jessica is one of the most masterful stroke technicians in the world and GREATEST Paralympic swimmer of all-time.
When Jessica was just 18 months old, both of her legs were amputated directly below the knee. She learned to walk with prosthesis, and in the pool, she developed one of the most beautiful and efficient strokes you will ever see from someone with or without their legs. When Jessica was getting started with the sport, she began the process of mastering her stroke to ensure she could keep up in practice with swimmers who have all their limbs. She has continued to focus on perfecting technique to break records and set new heights for para swimming.
Participants who attend Jessica’s clinics are going to meet a humble, engaging world-class athlete who wants to see them improve. In the pool, participants will learn:
- PERFECT technique in any stroke she is teaching
- Reduce drag – swim with efficiency
- Get the most out of every single wall
- Build endurance
- Preserve energy and maximize efficiency
You will learn many other things from Jessica as well – including that “there’s never any time to make excuses”.
More on Jessica:
Jessica Long and a participant at a Fitter and Faster Swim Clinic in Ridgefield, CT.
In conjunction with the Rio Games, Jessica was prominently featured by various media outlets including Glamour Magazine, TeenVogue, Women’s Health, Greatist.com, People, Refinery29.com, US News and World Report and NBC Sports.
A representative of the United States on her fourth consecutive U.S. Paralympic Team in Rio, Jessica medaled in 8 out of 9 total events, adding gold, silver and bronze to her impressive career medal count. Her victory in the 200m Individual Medley marked Jessica’s 13th career gold medal, and Jessica now has 23 total career Paralympic medals. She is now the second most decorated Paralympic athlete in U.S. history.
Jessica has established herself as a positive young role model and reputable spokesperson for many worldwide brands and honorable causes. She is an avid supporter of the Gateway to Gold initiative, an athlete identification program that introduces individuals with Paralympic-eligible impairments to Paralympic sport, and is a longtime proud spokesperson for Truesport, a movement powered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to promote clean competition, sportsmanship and peak performance. Jessica also proudly supports Pathfinders for Autism in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
An experienced and inspiring speaker, Jessica has been invited to share her story in front of a variety of audiences around the world at events including the World Economic Forum and Worldwide Technology Conference. Executive teams from ANA Airlines, Coca-Cola, Liberty Mutual Insurance, GlaxoSmithKline and the United States Olympic Committee have invited Jessica to speak at their events.
During the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games, Jessica was a guest on-air commentator for NBC and was on the ground in Russia interviewing competing athletes. NBC Sports also aired a prime time feature “Long Way Home” chronicling Jessica’s story — from her birth with fibular hemimelia, placement in a Siberian orphanage, adoption by U.S parents, early health struggles, rise to world-class athlete, and her life changing return to Russia to meet her birth parents. This private yet public experience of meeting her family for the first time gave rise to a period of significant personal growth for Jessica, and also helped create a swell of interest in U.S. and International Paralympic organizations.
Jessica’s “Nothing Left to Prove” message reveals how, despite being one of the most accomplished athletes in the world, she still struggled to overcome the stigma of physical disability and win her lifelong battle with the insecurities ignited by her own adoption.
“To The Moon and Back” (Password “russiandolls”) is a moving documentary about the Russian adoption ban and the impact it has had on American families and the thousands of Russian orphans, many with disabilities, who have no hope of being adopted.
“My adoption has given me an education, a loving family and an opportunity to excel in sports,” stated Jessica, who narrated the film in an effort to raise awareness about this important cause.
Participant Feedback From Jessica's Clinics
“Wonderful job! Jessica is an amazing role model for everyone, not only young swimmers! My swimmer dropped significant time in several events in her meet following the swim clinic!! She was so excited!” -Chrissie, from Cincinnati, OH
“Jessica and Brett were fabulous! They took time to learn kids’ names and were supportive and encouraging. My daughter left the clinic feeling so much better about herself because of Jessica and Brett’s attention and encouragement. Can’t thank them enough!” -Rachel, from Cincinnati, OH
Jessica Long is a featured clinician on our Swim Videos on Demand app. Click here to learn more about Swim Videos on Demand.
