Another example of the stellar swimmers to come out of Maryland. Paralympic athlete Jessica Long, from Baltimore, won her 30th medal in Paris.
She took the gold in the 400-meter freestyle, an event she initially wasn’t going to do in Paris but decided to train for it in December.
Long was adopted from Russia, where she was born with a birth defect in her legs.
Both were amputated when she was a baby. She fell in love with swimming and competed in her first paralympics at the age of 12.
Long shares her story in a new memoir called “beyond the surface."
"I’ve always wanted to have an impact on others," says Long.
"My story, I’ve had every reason to give up or to quit being born in Russia, growing up without my legs, the countless surgeries I’ve had, and I think for me I’ve always wanted to inspire. I want people to see, Hey, if that girl can do it, then I can do it too."
Long has one more event in Paris, the 100-meter fly. She’ll then head back to Baltimore to be with her husband and dog.
