Long Featured in S.I.

By: Keith Mills

The Sept. 15 issue of Sports Illustrated includes two pictures of Middle River's Jessica Long. One is an incredible two-page photo of Long holding a towel next to the Beijing Water Cube swimming pool with her two artificial legs, unattached to her body, resting alongside the starting block. In the upper right corner, there's a second picture of Long, smiling after she won her heat in the 100-meter butterfly. Two pictures and two revealing looks at one of the world's most courageous athletes.

Long is the Paralympics swimming version of Michael Phelps, the best in the world. Sometime next week she will officially begin her junior year of high school. Pardon her if it takes a little time to get back into the books. She is returning from Beijing, where she set three world records, won four gold medals, a silver and bronze in the 2008 Paralympic Games.

It was the latest brilliant performance from the 16-year-old Middle River teenager, who was born without, according to her Web site, "fibulas, ankles, heels and most other bones in my feet."

She recently won the 2008 Juan Antonio Samaranch Award, which is given to the athlete with a disability who displays courage and desire to overcome adversity. Add to that the James E. Sullivan Award, an ESPY, the Disability Swimmer of the Year in 2007, the Paralympian of the Year and the 2006 Disabled Female Swimmer of the Year and Long is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of U.S. Swimming.

Long, who was born in Irkutsk, Russia and adopted by Steve and Beth Long when she was 13 months old, also won three gold medals in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and nine golds in the 2006 World Championships. She holds 38 American swimming records.

Long was one of two area girls to win medals at the Beijing Paralympics. Tatyana McFadden graduated from Atholton High in Columbia last June and won silver medals last week in both women's 200 and 800 meters. Last spring as a senior at Atholton, McFadden won state championships in the 200, 400, 800 and 1,600-meter wheelchair races.

Issue 3.38: September 18, 2008