Jessica Long

Jessica Long

Jessica Long (Tatiana Olegovna Kirillova) was born on February 29th, 1992 and is currently 34 years old. Jessica Long was born in Bratsk, Russia.

Jessica Long is one of the most accomplished Paralympic athletes with several gold medals to her name in swimming.

It was in 2004 at age twelve that she made her debut at the Athens Games, where she won three gold medals. Since that time, she has been to every Paralympics event up to the 2021 Tokyo edition.

Jessica Long was just 13 months old when she was brought into the US from Russia and adopted by Beth and Steve Long. She was born with a condition that made it impossible for her legs to fully develop, and at 18 months, she had to have an amputation.

While she is most known as a swimmer, Jessica tried several sports in her childhood, but always went back to swimming. In the Paralympic movement, she found a community where she was accepted. From the encouragement she got in the group, she developed resilience, strong mental focus, and determination.

In her early years, she had at least 25 surgeries, but never let anything stop her from dreaming of becoming a swimmer. As she grew up, she started using prosthetics but found her freedom in the pool, where they were not needed.

Outside of competition, Jessica Long speaks about her many struggles with mental health, eating disorders, and adoption-related pain.

In 2013, she met her biological family back in Siberia and visited a local orphanage where she had once lived.

In 2018, Jessica Long published her memoir titled Unsinkable.

She was born with fibular hemimelia in Russia and sent to an orphanage, where she was adopted at thirteen months old. She shares the moments in her life, which are sometimes uplifting and sometimes heartbreaking, as he went on to become one of the most decorated Paralympic athletes.

She provides quotes, sidebars, and photographs chronicling her life and times from childhood to the present.

Next, she published the children's fiction work The Mermaid with No Tail.

Inspired by her own story, the work follows a mermaid born without a tail who is determined to win at the Mermaid Games. While she is mocked for being so different from everyone else, she finds guidance from Phelsy, her shark coach, and encouragement from her parents.

Through training and determination, she learns to keep a positive outlook and learns to swim with her arms to ultimately achieve several triumphs.

In 2024, Jessica Long published her guide to self-acceptance, which also doubles as a memoir in the title Beyond the Surface.

She was just a toddler when she lost her legs, but she never let her many challenges prevent her from becoming one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Nonetheless, she asserts that she got her sense of self from unconditional acceptance rather than from her achievements and medals.

Exploring her struggles with rejection, insecurity, and identity, she asks readers to embrace difference as a source of strength and beauty, even as she provides strategies to build acceptance and resilience.

Related Authors

Fans of Jessica Long also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
3. Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
4. Carl Hiaasen, author of the Andrew Yancy Series.
5. Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone Series.

Jessica Long: F.A.Q