Celebrated Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long hopes her story is an inspiration to others
For the average Paralympic athlete looking forward to the Tokyo Games, the past 15 months have tested even those who have the strongest mental fortitude.
No doubt, there have been long days of uncertainty. Some have put on those problematic pandemic pounds; others have gone through injuries, while others have struggled just to make ends meet while keeping their Tokyo dreams alive.
And for the lucky ones, like 13-time gold medalist and Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long, the wrath of COVID-19, its aftermath and being out of the pool for almost three months, any negativity that even thought about creeping into her head was quickly erased due to a positive attitude and the strong support of her family.
She also took the time just to enjoy herself by spending time cooking, bingeing episodes of “Desperate Housewives” and playing marathon games of Go Fish and hanging out in the back of a Toyota 4-Runner with her husband, Lucas Winters.
Normal routines such as training on a rowing machine, riding a bike and regular weightlifting sessions got her back in the mind frame for Tokyo.
Adversity is nothing new for the 29-year-old, who was adopted from Russia by a Maryland couple when she was barely a year old. She was born with fibular hemimelia, which required the amputation of her legs below the knees.
When the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were postponed in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Long felt losing her chance at another shot at glory was akin to grieving a death.
Those thoughts went away just as quickly as they entered after realizing one thing: She had another year to train and prepare. The Paralympic Games began Tuesday and continue through Sept. 5. Long will race in five events in Tokyo, and she already to her medal count by winning the bronze in the 100-meter backstroke on Friday.
“I really try to stay away from too much news and the negative stuff,” Long told Paste BN Sports. “I am a positive person and I want to see more of the positive. So, when I started to really struggle, I would reach out to a friend or just more trusted resources just to make sure that I wasn’t overthinking or thinking they postponed it and might cancel it.”
Traveling to Tokyo also as the world comes out of a pandemic was not a concern of Long’s. Adapting on the fly and going with the flow are Long’s edicts for herself these days.
“As an athlete, this is not my first Paralympics. I’m going into my fifth games. So, I know firsthand that anyone who is in charge at USA Swimming are definitely taking care of us athletes, doing all the hard work, the behind-the-scenes work,” she said. “My job is to focus on swimming. There are going to be a lot of distractions and there is a lot out of your control.”
Also out of her control was the response she received over her commercial for Toyota, which chronicled her life story and aired during Super Bowl 55. (She was not at liberty to reveal her other sponsors for Tokyo just yet.)
Long has gone from an orphanage in Siberia to winning 24 Paralympic medals, and she is the second-most decorated Paralympic athlete in U.S. history. American swimmer Trischa Zorn-Hudson holds the record with 55 medals in seven games.
“Just people reaching out and saying that my story has given them hope,” said Long, who at age 12 was the youngest on the U.S. swim team at the Athens Paralympics in 2004. “And I think during that time it was what we all needed. Just to give people strength and hope and all of that. And I just felt up to the challenge with my story being shown to millions of people. But it was very, very exciting.”
While the upcoming Games have been at the forefront of Long’s mind, she is well aware that her time in the pool will come to an end.
Whether her final laps will be at the 2024 Games in Paris or in Los Angeles in 2028 depends on her health and the desire to compete.
You may see her on your television or streaming screen commentating at future Paralympics or catch her on a tour promoting a best-selling book and even on the public speaking circuit.
Inspiring the masses was once a dream for Long, and through pure resolve, the reality has come full circle for a 10-year-old girl who once hopped in a Baltimore pool not knowing it would take her to the top of her profession.
“But when that day comes, when I can finally hang up my swimsuit, I am so thankful for the connections and the relationships and friendships that I’ve created,” she said. “And I don’t know where life is going to take me, but the Paralympic movement has given me this entire, wild, amazing journey.”