Legendary swimmer Jessica Long shared in an exclusive interview with olympics.com that she plans to retire after the 2028 LA Paralympics. “I’m coming towards the end of my career — I hope to end in LA,” she said.
Long has been a dominant force in Para swimming since her international debut at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, where she won three gold medals at 12 years old. Twenty years and many accolades later, Long showed in Paris that she remains at the top of the sport. She earned her first gold of the Games in the 400 freestyle S8, then came from behind in the closing meters to win her second Pars gold in the 100 butterfly S8.
Those wins were her 30th and 31st career Paralympic medals. Now, she’s the second-most decorated American Paralympian of all time, behind only swimmer Trischa Zorn and her 55 medals.
Though LA 2028 is still four years away, the siren song of a home Games has been hard to ignore for many of the top American athletes, Long included. “Just the thought of people coming and watching the Paralympics in the U.S. gets me so excited. But that’s going to be my farewell.”
Katie Ledecky, another swimming legend with impressive longevity in the sport, maintains she’s taking things “one year at a time” but has expressed her interest in competing in LA. The 2028 Games would be Ledecky’s fifth Games and Long’s seventh, a mark Long is interested in achieving. “It’s exciting to think of seven Paralympics. Seven’s always been one of my favorite numbers, but to do it on home soil, it’s like, the time’s going to pass, so why not go for it?”
Long has had a unique vantage point on the growth of the Paralympic movement over the last twenty years. And after the quiet of the Tokyo Games, the roar of the Parisian crowds was a welcome change for the Paralympic swimmers. The noise began at the Olympic Games and returned in full force for the Paralympics. It did not go unnoticed by Long and the other swimmers. “For me, it’s just incredible to see sellout crowds,” she said. “It’s incredible to see people care. On our credentials, you see the Olympic rings and the Agitos. And I think that’s the most amazing thing.”
Among the world’s powerhouse swimming countries, the United States has one of the most divided approaches to its Para and non-para swimmers. Two years ago, the 2022 Duel In The Pool was the first time American para and non-para athletes competed together. The upcoming home Games represent an opportunity to bridge that separation. “I hope Michael [Phelps] is there. I hope he presents medals,” said Long of her fellow NBAC alum in the same interview.
In 2023, Long made a change during the shortened quad, leaving her family and friends in Baltimore and moving to the U.S. Olympic Training Center to focus on swimming at the 2024 Paralympics. And as she looks ahead to a potential seventh Paralympics, it’s that love for the sport and desire to improve driving her. “I love swimming, I love racing, and I love just challenging myself,” she said. “I think if I felt like I truly have mastered it, I wouldn’t still be here.”
