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Competitive Spirit Triumphs Over Loss of Limbs
Jessica Long, a 14 year-old bilateral below-the-knee amputee from Baltimore, Maryland, is a U.S Paralympics Gold Medalist and World Record holder in swimming. From July 28 - 30, 2006, the young athlete used her custom hybrid prosthetic legs made for Rock Climbing at the O&P Extremity Games in Orlando, Florida, thanks to the suggestion of her prosthetist Jonas Seeberg, CPO of Real Life Prosthetics in Abingdon, Maryland.
To participate in the competition, Jessica wore prosthetic legs, which are custom-designed, made and fitted by Jonas Seeberg, Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist at Real Life Prosthetics in Abingdon, Maryland. The legs are made of super-strong, ultra-light components, like titanium alloys, plastics, and carbon composites.
Jessica tackled a 24-foot high rock wall in a timed competition. Although she had been rock climbing for only four months, she set her sights on placing in the competition. Her first climb took 51 seconds, but on her second attempt she cut her time to 31 seconds, placing second. "The climbing wall was transparent, so you could see what your competition was doing," Jessica said. "That was an incentive to do better."
When not competing, Jessica enjoyed being a spectator and took in the skateboarding demonstrations and the opening ceremony skydiving team.
In swimming, Jessica has won multiple medals in two separate international Paralympic Games. In Beijing, China this past year she set 3 new world records while winning 4 Gold medals: 100m Butterfly (S8); 100m Freestyle (S8); 400m Freestyle (S8); 200m Individual Medley (SM8). She also earned a Silver medal in the 100m Backstroke (S8) and a Bronze medal in the 100m Breaststroke (SB7). At the age of 12 Jessica won 3 gold medals in the Athens Paralympics. She was the youngest member of the US Paralympic Team. Jessica currently holds world records in 15 swimming events (one as part of a relay). She became the first Paralympian to win the Sullivan Award which recognizes the best amateur athlete in the United States.
To learn more about Jessica Long, visit her website at www.jessicalong.org. |
