Paralympian swimmer Jessica Long cinched the silver medal today in the 400 meter freestyle swimming competition. This is her 18th career medal; she's competed in 4 Paralympics.
"I knew that it was going to be a tough race," Long said. "I had to overcome some injuries to compete, so it is a good result."
Long grew up in Baltimore, but she was originally born in Siberia. She was adopted from a Russian orphanage when she was 13 years old.
She was born with fibular hemimelia, which means she didn't have fibulas, ankles, heels or many of the bones in her feet. Her legs were amputated below the knees when she was 18 months old. That enabled her to learn how to walk using prosthetic legs.
Now she's a world-class swimmer with 12 gold medals under her belt -- and she's looking to win some more.
"You know that I have a long schedule now and everything can happen," Long said. "So let's keep always smiling."
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