The real name of the American Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long is Tatyana Olegovna Kirillova. She was born in Russia, was abandoned by her parents, and adopted by an American family. Jessica is a multiple winner of the World Championships, Paralympics, the world record holder among athletes who do not have lower limbs. More information about Jessica Long, whose photo is given in the article, about her fate and sports achievements will be described below.
Adoption
Jessica Long's biography began tragically. She was born in Russia, in the Irkutsk region, near the city of Bratsk, in 1992 with a defect in the lower extremities. She had no tibia and some of the bones of the feet. Parents immediately abandoned her, and she was sent to a shelter. It would seem that in front of a disabled girl an unenviable fate awaited. But a holiday happened on her street.
After some time, a little Tanya was taken by a family from the United States. At that time, the child was 13 months old. Thus, Tanya Kirillova turned into Jessica Long. Already during her stay in the United States, her lower legs were amputated. After that, she learned to walk on dentures.
Doing sports
From childhood, the girl began to engage in several sports, starting with gymnastics and ending with climbing. Fortunately, the level of development of infrastructure for the disabled, as well as adaptive sports in the United States, is very high. And people with disabilities practically do not encounter obstacles to engage in many types of motor activity.
Having tried her hand in several directions, Jessica preferred swimming, seriously carried away by him. She began training, taking advantage of the fact that her grandparents had a pool in the house.
In 2003, Jessica was recognized as the best swimmer in Maryland with a disability. She turned out to be talented and workable beyond her years, making her debut in 2004, when she was 12 years old, at the Paralympic Games in Athens, having won three gold medals.
From 2004 to 2008, the athlete Jessica Long successfully performed at various championships and championships. She won medals and set world records one after another. In 2006, the US Paralympic Committee awarded her the title of best athlete of the year. In the same year, in South Africa, in the city of Durban, under the auspices of the IPC, the world swimming championship was held. There, the girl took nine gold medals.
Further success
Four years after Athens, the Paralympic Games were held in Beijing, where 16-year-old Jessica performed brilliantly again, winning four gold medals. After these competitions, Jessica Long was awarded the IOC Seventh President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who won the "best athlete with disabilities" in the corresponding nomination.
In 2010, the girl again shines at the World Championships in Holland, in Endhoven. There she wins seven gold medals, setting the next world records. A year later, one of the American magazines calls her the best Paralympic swimmer.
Two more olympiads
In 2012, an American athlete again conquered the Paralympic pool. It took place at the Olympics in London. There she won six gold, two silver and one bronze medals. This year, the girl became the athlete of the year among Paralympics. This title was awarded to her by the US National Paralympic Committee.
Despite achieving incredible sports success and winning a large number of medals, Jessica was not going to leave the sport and was preparing for new Olympic games. And participation in the Olympics in the Brazilian city of Rio da Janeiro in 2016 was successful for her. There, Jessica was awarded one gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
In total, Jessica Long has 18 performances that have become world records.
World records
Among the world records of Jessica Long are the following:
- 2010 - two world records, the first at 200 m with integrated swimming, the second four at 100 m freestyle. This happened in the Netherlands, in Eindhoven at the World Swimming Championships.
- 2009 is also two records. Alone in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, at the World Cup, the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter breaststroke. Second in Canada, in Edmonton at the US-Canadian Championship, 100m breaststroke.
- 2008 - Canadian-American Championship in Canada, Victoria, 100 m butterfly.
- 2007 - as many as six world records. Three of these at the United States Disability Games held in Auckland, Rochester, Michigan are 50 meters butterfly stroke, 200 meters and 1,500 meters freestyle. The next three are at the Canadian-American Spring Championships in Canada, in Montreal (200 m breaststroke, 400 m individual and 800 m freestyle).
- 2006 - already eight world records at the Belgian Games in Antwerp. Two - 100 m butterfly stroke, 200 m individual style. Four at the Canadian-American Games, in Canada, Ontario (50 m and 200 m breaststroke, 50 m butterfly, 400 m individual style). Two more at the American Open Athletic Games in Atlanta - 100 m butterfly stroke and 200 m all-in swimming.
- 2005 - two world records at the US Open in Minneapolis - 100 m butterfly, 100 m breaststroke.
To date, 15 of them are still not beaten by anyone.
Russian roots
After the Paralympic Games ended in 2012, reporters became aware that its historical roots are in Russia. And they decided to arrange a meeting with her second mother - biological.
On September 11, 2012, Natalya Kirillova spoke about herself in the “Let them talk” program. She really wanted to look in the eyes of her daughter and ask her for forgiveness. She said that she felt guilty in front of her and wanted to explain why it all happened. And also ask for an understanding of what she could not do for her what American parents did. Natalia expressed confidence: Jessica is a kind girl, she will understand everything.
Natalya after Tanya had three more children. This is Nastya, the second daughter, born in 1993, who at that time studied in Bratsk at a teacher training college. Then in 1999, twins appeared - Dasha and Igor. The boy then went to school, and the girl is an invalid with cerebral palsy, whom her mother takes care of.
09/13/2012, the program "Live" was shown on the Russia-1 channel, where Jessica herself, her father and sister took part. In December 2013, she went to the Irkutsk Region to meet her mother.
Waiting for a meeting
This day, when Jessica Long met her mother, who gave her life, the Paralympic champion, she said, had been waiting for many years. The fact that she is an adopted daughter, her new parents told her in childhood. The girl knew that back in 1992 they took her from a specialized orphanage in Irkutsk.
Unlike blood parents, foreigners were not pushed away by her severe birth defect. But who they were, her biological parents, Jessica did not know. They were told about them last year, during a competition in London. To realize this and gather his thoughts, the girl took a lot of time.
When Jessica flew to Irkutsk, she told the correspondent of Komsomolskaya Pravda that she loved her American mom and dad very much. They always support her and are especially worried about her now. She receives from them endless messages in which relatives write: "We pray for you." Together with Jessica, Hannah Long, her sister, went on a long journey to Russia.
And also Jessica said that in any case she would be glad that she saw her mother, whatever she was. Nevertheless, the athlete was very worried. Arriving at the station platform, and then having held several meetings with the young athletes at the official level, she spent a sleepless night in the hotel, waiting for a meeting with her mother. What is she like now? What is he thinking? Will Jessica feel anything for her? Can you love her? It is no wonder that such thoughts tormented the once abandoned child.
The meeting took place
As the correspondent from the meeting point said: "Jessica is all shining with happiness! Now she is in her parents' house and they are talking privately. Then everyone sat down at the table. Jess's mother, Natalya, tried very hard. The table is bursting with tasty treats."
She gave her daughter a jar of pickled cucumbers, which she prepared herself. “Oh, those mother’s cucumbers!” The American athlete exclaims. “I’ve never tasted such delicious ones.” American sister Nastya gave her flowers, a ring, and also a soft toy - a teddy bear.
Immediately after the meeting, Jessica Long shared her emotions with the correspondent, saying that she was very happy and not at all disappointed. She also noted that she was very similar to her sister, whom she was a year older. Mom gave the girl a necklace as a keepsake, her father a Bible, and Nastya a bracelet.