4 AQUAWOMAN On September 3 Jessica Long took lane 4 to compete in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo Japan She carefully took off her prosthetic legs and laid them aside After getting on the starting block she clapped her hands three times and dove in at the start of the race
Long wasn't the fastest off the block But by the time she finished her first lap no one was able to keep up With her husband cheering her on from the stands and other family members watching at home in Maryland Long swam her hardest She flew through the water One minute and nine seconds later the 29 year old Paralympic star won gold for the 16th time It was FAST FACTS DATE OF BIRTH February 29 1992 LEAGUE women's para swimming PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS won 29 Paralympic Games medals including 16 gold won the second most medals of any Paralympic swimmer competed in her first Paralympics at the age of 12 PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS wrote a book about her life in 2018 married Lucas Winters in 2019 nicknamed Aquawoman 5
long 6 Long dives into the water at the start of the 400 meter freestyle event at the Tokyo Paralympics her 29th Paralympic medal the second most of any American Paralympic swimmer She had lived up to her nickname Aquawoman And she had earned a medal in every swimming stroke at the 2021 Games freestyle butterfly backstroke and breaststroke In total she won three gold medals two silver and one bronze Long knew a lot of people helped her have a successful career It's never been just about me she said There have been so many people who have believed in me when I didn't believe in myself
