The character arc of Jessica Long

A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record

Born on 29 February 1992 in Bratsk, Russia, to unwed teenage parents, and adopted by American parents at thirteen months. Between then and now sit both lower legs amputated at eighteen months because of fibular hemimelia, learning to walk with prostheses, gymnastics, cheerleading, skating and climbing, swimming begun in her grandparents' pool, a first competitive team in 2002, a state award in 2003, three gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games aged twelve, eighteen world records in 2006, and six Paralympic Games with thirty one medals. The line below draws the story so far, in order.

Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.

Who is Jessica Long?

Amputated at eighteen months, and gold at twelve.

She was born in Bratsk in Siberia, to parents who were eighteen and seventeen and unmarried, and was adopted by American parents at thirteen months. Her brother was adopted at the same time from the same orphanage. Because of fibular hemimelia, a condition present from birth, her lower legs were amputated when she was eighteen months old, and she learned to walk on prostheses.

What the record shows next is a childhood of trying everything: gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, cycling, trampolining and rock climbing. The swimming began in her grandparents' pool, which is where a great many swimmers begin, and she joined her first competitive team in 2002, at ten. The following year her state association named her its female swimmer with a disability of the year, and she trained with one of the strongest clubs in the country.

She went to her first Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004, at twelve, the youngest member of the American team, and won three gold medals. In 2006 she broke eighteen world records in a single year and won nine golds at the world championships in Durban. She has now swum at six Paralympic Games and won thirty one medals, eighteen of them gold, along with more than fifty world championship medals. The girl who learned to walk on prostheses at eighteen months is one of the most decorated athletes her country has produced.

The moments

Jessica Long's timeline.

The 1990s

29 Feb 1992

Born in Bratsk

Everyday. A leap day in Siberia, to two teenagers.

Mar 1993

Adopted at thirteen months

Milestone, and it changed everything. Two children out of the same orphanage on the same day.

Aug 1993

Both lower legs

Setback, and it changed everything. Eighteen months old, and she learned to walk on prostheses from the start.

~1999

She tries everything

Milestone, and it changed her direction. Gymnastics, cheerleading, skating, climbing, and then a pool at her grandparents' house.

The 2000s

~2002

A first competitive team

Milestone, and it changed everything. Ten years old, and into a proper club.

1 Jan 2002

Which sport to keep

Crossroads, decided.

The paths laid out: take the pool seriously, taken, or keep trying everything. She won three gold medals at the Paralympic Games two years later, aged twelve.

~2003

Swimmer of the year

Milestone, and it changed her direction. One year in the club, and the state noticed.

Sep 2004

Three golds at twelve

Milestone, and it changed everything. Twelve years old, youngest on the team, and she won three.

~2006

Eighteen world records

Milestone, and it changed everything. Eighteen world records in one calendar year.

The 2020s

~2021

Thirty one medals

Milestone, and it changed everything. Six Games, thirty one medals, and fifty more at world championships.

Baltimore made the swimmer and Bratsk is still on her birth certificate, and she carries both. What it has set moving is measurable in club sessions everywhere: a generation of children with prosthetic legs who got into a pool because they had watched somebody with the same legs win.

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Jessica Long: frequently asked questions

What people ask about her line.

What is Jessica Long's character arc?

Born in Siberia to teenage parents, adopted at thirteen months, both lower legs amputated at eighteen months, a childhood spent trying every sport, swimming begun in her grandparents' pool, and three Paralympic gold medals at twelve.

Why were Jessica Long's legs amputated?

Because of fibular hemimelia, a condition present from birth. Her lower legs were amputated when she was eighteen months old, a few months after she was adopted, and she learned to walk with prostheses from the beginning.

How did Jessica Long start swimming?

In her grandparents' pool. She had also done gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, cycling, trampolining and rock climbing. She joined her first competitive team in 2002, at ten, and trained with a strong Baltimore club.

How old was Jessica Long at her first Paralympics?

Twelve. She competed at the 2004 Games in Athens as the youngest member of the United States Paralympic team, and won three gold medals. In 2006 she broke eighteen world records in a single year.

How many medals has Jessica Long won?

Thirty one Paralympic medals from six Games, eighteen of them gold, and more than fifty world championship medals. She competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 categories and has held many world records.

Where was Jessica Long born?

In Bratsk, Russia, on 29 February 1992, as Tatiana Olegovna Kirillova. Her parents were unwed teenagers. She and her brother Joshua were adopted by American parents at the same time, from the same Siberian orphanage.

Where does this timeline of Jessica Long's life come from?

From the public record. Character Arc drew every moment on this line from the sources listed at the foot of the page, and the kind and weight of each moment are our editorial reading. Jessica Long isn't a Member of Character Arc and has no connection with it, and no feeling is attributed to her.

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Sources

Jessica Long, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
International Paralympic Committee records for six Paralympic Games.
Maryland Swimming award records, 2003.