Sports

Middle River Swimmer Nominated for ESPY Award

Paralympian Jessica Long, ESPN's reigning Best Female Athlete with a Disability, is again nominated for the honor.

Middle River's own Jessica Long, a much-decorated Paralympic swimmer, is in the running for an ESPY Award.

The annual awards that recognize sports teams, individual athletes and even individual plays and moments in athletic events, are sponsored by the sports network ESPN.

Long, 21, has been honored with an ESPY twice. She's the reigning Best Female Athlete with a Disability, and also won the same award in 2007.

"So honored to be nominated for an ESPY award," Long wrote on her Facebook page. "Please vote for 'best female athlete with a disability.' Thanks :)"

Long, who is a double below-the-knee amputee, has been setting the competitive swim world on fire almost since her first plunge in to her grandmother's backyard pool.

As a 12-year-old, she went to the 2004 Athens Olympics as an unknown. She quickly changed that when she returned home with three gold medals.

Thanks to an unprecedented performance at the International Paralympic Committee's swimming world championships in Durban, South Africa, in 2006, where she won nine gold medals in nine events, Long had a target on her back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In Beijing, the target didn't bother her and  Long won six medals—including four golds—and set three world records.

Last summer, at the Paralympic Games in London, Long added to her growing collection when she won eight medals, including five golds.

Since her introduction to competitive swimming, Long has collected many individual honors from organizations and publications in addition to the countless medals she's won in national and international swim meets.

In 2006, she was named USA Swimming's Disability Swimmer of the year and became the first disabled athlete to win the James E. Sullivan Award, given to the nation's top amateur athlete.

The complete list of her honors is listed on her website.

Voting for the ESPY awards will remain open until 9 p.m. July 17.

To cast your vote, visit the ESPN website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Essex-Middle River