A biography for Jessica Longhasn’t been written yet.
“At 18 months old, both of my lower legs were amputated so I could be fitted with prosthetic legs and learn to walk.”
“I love swimming, but swimming can't be my entire identity, my entire world.”
“Every Sunday after church we would go over to my grandparents' house and spend time with them and they had a pool in their backyard, and I would like eat as fast as I could just so I could be the first one in the pool. And then I would be the last one out.”
“Swimming forced me to deal with the things I wanted to escape. It helped me work through a lot of feelings and frustrations, because I had hours under water just to swim laps and think.”
“Maybe it's part of being an athlete, but I feel like we're really good, especially in swimming, about just pushing things down and pushing ahead.”
“After a Paralympic Games, I usually take a few months off to enjoy life or go on a family vacation.”
“It's really awesome to come back home and be recognized for the hard work.”
“One of the very first fashion features where I appeared without my prosthetic legs was in ELLE magazine's publication, 'Gold Rush.'”
“I love taking Epsom salt baths.”
“Putting on shoes with my prosthetic legs is still hard for me, but at the end of the day, I'm just putting on really tall shoes.”
“Something that really irritates me is when I come to a four-way stop, and I clearly have the right of way, and the other person who doesn't have the right of way waves for me to go. I'm like, 'Yeah, I know I can go.'”
“My identity is in Christ, and I really hope that I show that with just my character, the way that I do things on the pool deck.”
“The water has always been a place of freedom, safety, but also feeling really strong and capable.”
“I love putting on a candle, reading a book, and just taking a second for me.”
“Like in Athens, it went by so fast and I mean, I remember it being like the best trip ever. And I am so excited for Beijing. Like at Opening Ceremonies when you walk out with your whole team and you are all marching and they light the torch, I mean - it is so exciting.”
“Winning gold medals is incredible and obviously it's what I want to do, but there's something so special about having a little girl who has just lost her leg from cancer come up and tell me I'm her hero.”
“It's so nice to go to a friend's house and sleep over, stay up as late as I want.”
“I am so grateful that respected global swimwear brand Arena stepped up to support U.S. Paralympics as a supplier. They also sponsor me individually, as their first Paralympic swimmer.”
“I really love to sleep. I think that's an amputee thing because I'm exhausted throughout the day.”
“Before I step on a starting block, I will clap three times and shake out my arms twice. I don't feel ready to race unless I do that.”