#3 Jessica Long (USA)
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Jessica Long represents the United States of America in swimming at the Paralympic Games and will be featuring in her fourth Games at the age of just 24. The American had burst onto the scene at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games as a 12-year old kid who went on to win three gold medals.
That was an incredible feat for the young swimmer who won in the 100m butterfly, 400m butterfly and the 4x100m butterfly relay events.
The swimmer was born with fibular hemimelia and her legs were amputated even before she was 2 years old. However, the athlete got used to living with prostheses and went on to pursue a career in swimming.
She managed to win another four and five gold medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games respectively. The American currently has a total of 17 Paralympic medals to her name at the age of 24 and she could compete in Tokyo as well.
She has a total of 12 gold medals to her name and will be looking to win her fourth consecutive gold medal in the 100m and 400m freestyle (S8 class) events in Rio and third consecutive gold in the 100m butterfly. This will make her one of the biggest stars in the Paralympic Games’ history which will enhance her reputation.
