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Jan 18, 2007 10:16 pm US/Eastern
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Baltimore's Jessica Long Named Paralympian Of 2006
by Mike Schuh
Baltimore, MD (WJZ/AP) ―
Baltimore Swimmer Jessica Long earned her place as one of Baltimore's best athletes and gained national recognition by being named the 2006 Olympic Committee Paralympian of the Year.
WJZ's Mike Schuh talked to the world class swimmer who has been overcoming the odds her entire life.
Long was born in Siberia and adopted from a Russian orphanage when she was just one. Due to a medical condition affecting her lower legs, Long's legs were amputated when she was 18 months old.
She first appeared on the international stage at the 2004 Paralympic Games. Then she was only 12, but still managed to win three gold medals as the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic Team.
"I did gymnastics for six years and my parents were really afraid I would damage my knees, so they looked for a sport where I could still stay active," said Long.
Long currently owns 30 world records among all athletes not just paralympians. At the recent World Championships held in South Africa, she won five gold medals and broke world records in the freestyle relay, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter IM and 400-meter freestyle.
Long also set three world records at the 2006 Paralympic National Championships last August.
The swimming phenom was set to receive a plaque in March but instead she will be competing in another international competition, this time in Montreal, Canada.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)