Written by As the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games continue, an amazing feat happened: Jessica Long, a Team USA swimmer and most decorated active Paralympian, won her 25th Paralympic Games medal. Long has competed in the Paralympic Games since 2004, when she was 12 years old. And she has won gold in the same event for the last four Paralympics!
Long said that her move to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center was the sacrifice she made that made the difference. But what was most interesting, is that she spoke about the “amazing group of people” that she was with and that she was extremely thankful. That sounds like an athlete who any coach would love to have on their team. But as I was looking into Long’s story, which is incredible if you have never read it, she stated earlier this year that “The only disability in life is a negative attitude”. The woman was born to a teen mom in Russia, had a rare condition that required amputation and 25 surgeries, was put in an orphanage, had an extremely hard childhood, and she overcame every single negative thing that was thrown at her…but she defined that the a negative attitude is anyone’s disability. That is an immensely impactful statement.
Jessica Long is an American hero and is a role model to many around the world. Many say that she is a mermaid or have even called her “The Michael Phelps of Paralympic swimming”. But let’s be honest, Michael Phelps has nothing on her, and he should be called “The Jessica Long of Olympic swimming”. Long’s positive attitude must be extremely infectious, she probably changes the team climate, and positively influences leadership and culture in any organization she belongs to.
Long’s continuous journey is not only a testament to what is possible or that the impossible can be achieved, but she is what young girls and boys around the world dream about. Anyone, regardless of circumstance, can compete at the highest level of sports, and stand on the podium to be presented that gold medal. And coming from a coach, I truly believe that Jessica Long would be an asset to any team, in or out of the water.