It’s all about showing up: United States’ most bemedalled Paralympian Jessica Long
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Jessica Long, American para swimmer during the women's 400m freestyle S8 final at the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships at OCBC Aquatic Centre on Sept 21.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
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- Jessica Long, the United States' most decorated Paralympian with 18 golds, plans to retire after the 2028 Los Angeles Games, prioritising participation over winning.
- Long reflects on past obsessions with winning, fuelled by a need to prove herself, but now values self-acceptance and enjoying life outside of swimming.
- The World Para Swimming Championships saw world records broken by Tanja Scholz, William Ellard, and Alessandra Oliveira.
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SINGAPORE – The Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics will provide the stage for the United States’ most bemedalled Paralympian Jessica Long to swim into the sunset.
But the 33-year-old double-leg amputee has not set any targets for herself as she retires in home waters. To her, what is more important is “showing up”, which she believes is a victory in itself.
Long, who has 18 gold, eight silver and five bronze Paralympic medals from six Games, said: “My end goal is Los Angeles and that’s finishing my race that I started when I was 12 years old.
“And I think the important thing is that I’m still showing up… There’s victory in showing up for 20-something years of my life.”
Long was born with fibular hemimelia, an underdevelopment of the lower legs, in Siberia and was adopted in the US as a 13-month baby, and had her legs amputated below the knee five months later.
Growing up, she was obsessed with winning and found herself being fuelled by anger, wanting to “go out there to prove that I was good enough”.
“And it worked, at 12 years old at my very first Paralympics, I won three golds and I think I carried that on, that I had to keep winning gold to be enough,” said Long, the third most decorated Paralympian of all time.
“I am from an amazing family… My parents were not swimmers. I never had the pressure to perform, even now they’ll be happy I just finished. So it’s just all about that perspective as I’ve gotten older.
“I’ve always loved this idea that, if you’re not enough without a gold medal, you’ll never be enough with one. And for me, I had to learn that the hard way.
“Everything in my life was telling me that the more I won, the more I had worth, so it was kind of hard not to become obsessed with it. I just had to really learn that I’m enough, just the way that I am.”
On Sept 21, the opening day of the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, Long clocked 5min 13.60sec to finish sixth in the women’s 400m freestyle S8 final at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, where the 3,000-capacity venue was about half full during the evening session.
Britain’s Alice Tai won in 4:59.00
Long, who had won gold in this event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, said: “I won gold last year and I am nowhere near in shape right now. I’ve enjoyed my summer. I found a new hobby, my husband and I just bought a house, so I’m just enjoying life.”
Asked about her plans after LA 2028, she said: “I hope to start a family with my husband. I think that would be amazing, the next big adventure.
“I would love to still be involved in Paralympic sport. I think it’s amazing just seeing this incredible next generation take over.”
The first day of competition in Singapore also saw several world records toppling.
Germany’s Tanja Scholz lowered the women’s 50m breaststroke SB2 mark twice, first in the morning’s heats as she clocked 1:02.27. The previous mark of 1:04.33 was set by Briton Ellie Challis in 2022.
Scholz bettered her own mark by more than a second in the evening’s final, clinching gold in 1:00.95, ahead of Challis (1:10.39) and neutral athlete Diana Koltsova (1:14.36).
The 41-year-old said: “It’s absolutely fantastic (to break the record twice). I called my kids after and they were so proud, they screamed, saying ‘mama you are the best’, and that’s the best prize ever.” Her kids have been her main motivation, after a horse riding accident in 2020 left her wheelchair-bound.
In the men’s 200m freestyle S14 final, Britain’s William Ellard timed 1:51.08 to eclipse his own world record set at Paris 2024 by 0.22sec. Brazil’s Gabriel Bandeira (1:52.03) was second, with Canadian Nicholas Bennett (1:53.97) third.
Meanwhile, in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB4 final, Brazil’s Alessandra Oliveira also lowered the world record by clocking 1:43.21 to erase Norwegian Sarah Louise Rung’s 1:43.87 mark set in 2014.
Italy’s Giulia Ghiretti (1:52.47) and Spain’s Berta Garcia (1:56.23) were behind Oliveira.
Singapore’s seven-gold Paralympic champion Yip Pin Xiu at the opening of Toyota World Para Swimming Championships at OCBC Aquatic Centre on Sept 21.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
The championships were opened by Acting Minister for Culture, Community & Youth David Neo, followed by a parade of flag bearers representing the respective 75 countries and territories.
Singapore’s seven-gold Paralympic medallist Yip Pin Xiu was the last to appear, drawing cheers from the home crowd. She is one of nine Singaporean athletes at these championships.
On Sept 22, Toh Wei Soong and Wong Zhi Wei will represent the Republic in the men’s 400m freestyle S7 and men’s 100m breaststroke SB13 respectively.
