next up it'll be the women's one hundred metre backstroke
forty S. T. classification we get our first look at twenty
nine year old Jessica long at her fifth Olympic games
her first Athens when she was just
twelve
it's been a busy five years since the last Paralympics for
Jessica
she got married one eight gold medals at the twenty seventeen
world championships
and starred in a Toyota Super Bowl commercial
a photo of a little girl watching the ad became a viral
sensation of its own
that kind of ripple effect is something Jessica says keeps
her motivated to continue adding to her story
remarkable journey it's already been
everyone has seen my success this
but
there's a lot of moments with my story that I didn't really
tell people
just how hard option was for me
because a lot of pain
I was born to
Russian girl
she was sixteen
and she just can't take care of a disabled
I was missing the fibula side of thought with three toes
and I love the fact that was adopted but is it still hurts
just feeling that abandon even though I was in a loving family
it was like
my entire life I had dreamed of meeting my birth mom
I had the opportunity to
go back to Russia
and my birth family
because my sister Hannah
and that was really special
I really I could imagine going this trip with anyone else
I just want to ask you what is
she
James at this moment since I was a little girl so it's very
exciting I always knew about my mom but I never knew about
families and they're excited to meet my whole family it was
probably the hardest trip of my life
it was the hardest thing I've ever done and I've done a lot
of hard things
I would extortionist I was adopted from
I see you a game
does anyone ever ever to come back
they dressed everyone up all the little babies
the kids in our procedures they were so happy to show them any
attention you know any love towards them and
I want to take them all home I can't imagine what it was like
for my dad
coming coming and getting me
in that time
in the very beginning of the church there's definitely some
emotions and I just wanted to present myself subproject
perfectly like
I just putting lipstick
and we pulled up to their tiny little purple house
and I got out and he answered my hands
and
and she came out of the port and she was
just in that moment shocked me I allowed myself
to to arms
my first ad was behind
he's like crying and
she just kept like her hands were shaking you could tell her
heart was beating really
it was really
at the afternoon with some she just kept
Diggs and how it worked
lex
allows me to walk
I'm in
just give me a picture like a painting she said she was
pregnant with me
and I think for the first time in my life it was a moment
where I instead of thinking about me
it was like oh my gosh I put myself in her position what
what I've done
I think my first hand me over to someone
it's hard
yes it's amazing how everything works out
even just the thing would have been like if I
in last
along with a good start out of lane number three
long really does a great job of using the full length of her
arms to get all the way behind her and pulled out water to
keep her elbows hi on the catch under water
right now just long currently sitting in third place there in
lane number three first make the turn of the Adelaide number
five from New Zealand
as the kiwi makes the turn with Catherina Dennis Sanko of
Ukraine just off her left hand side so this final fifty meters
just along currently in third place with
there she is on the left side of your screen
and she is such a dominant distance swimmer
I expect her to be very strong going into these last twenty
five meter she's not an athlete who is going to slow down to
the end of a race yes %HESITATION New Zealand has
the lead looking strong looking smooth dead center of your
screen
and there is just a long currently sitting in third place
she may be able to hold on for a bronze here adding to a hall
of Paralympic Games medals that would take a twenty four and as
they come to the touch you will be
getting the win
Jessica long claiming the bronze just behind Diggs said
go over Ukraine's silver
and what a moment for New Zealand to pony food
another metal for Jessica long incredible collection
it might not have been the colour of medal she hoped for
in her first race ever
the game
but it still adds to long staggering overall count
twenty four medals for the twenty nine year old star
one memorable moment among many
as the twenty twenty Paralympics began
Tokyo aquatic center has been very good to the swimmers as
they have delivered thirty one world records here and we are
just on day four of competition now set
for the women's two hundred individual medley butter fly
back breast and freed to Americans featured this one
David Sheppard lane number one
and the queen of the pool jeskell log in lane number four
Jessica long is just twenty nine years old
but her Paralympic career has already spanned almost two decades
meaning she's already inspired a generation of swimmers
eighteen year old teammate
haven shepherd has looked up to Jessica since she was a kid
it's the kind of ripple effect long likes to talk about when
she reflects on the impact she's made
yes
you need to know
the first time I was introduced to Jessica was Superbowl
commercial
she says
background scratches like me and I said I don't yeah she
does and
she crawled over Graham turned I just up and was mom I wanna
be like that girl
and I told her like you can in the store she stood there and
just watch the commercial that's when I took the picture
there was something
photo when she's you know standing there with their
crutches and she's looking up to the big screen
and %HESITATION I think in that moment I was wow like this
really is what it's all about
I mean that's what it really felt real right that this
really does have an impact on people like my story has
an impact but at the same time it was in like it was impacting me
right
when I see my
I see myself
do you think of
the next little girl is going through
this
I feel like I was given the story this life to inspire
and I'm even just giving her some excitement or just
an opportunity to see the
cases everything that's possible even
even with the challenge
I feel like she's up for the challenge she's a
she's a cute little things
sassy it's just it's really special
hi he
I heard your eye and I see pictures to your swimming
do you want to do that when they're swimming
yeah she loves to be under water she loves to be swimming
in person teacher and her physical therapist says it kind
of levels the playing field for her like I that's why I like it
so much is this
freedom against me
I mean to see her on TV in on
just this big display this big
this big platform
in debt for my aunt to be able to see that at such a young age
that
look look look what she accomplished so there's I mean
there's no reason for minefield that she can't accomplish great
things as well we always do this at the end of like
anything with team USA but I'll count to three and then we'll
go USA
I am
two three
great reaction time for just a long as if she needs any help
if you're going up against a Jessica long how would you
approach this is there anywhere that she has a weak as we speak
you can capitalize or she just so dominant first I would say
a prayer
I would remember that she's won a medal in every single stroke
in the Paralympics so it's really difficult to even
identify a week stroke for Jessica long
diagnosed with spina bifida each to watching from home with
their parents and three brothers
it was a chance to cheer her hero
going for a second medal in Tokyo
she is now off to the backstroke her at least
favorite but she's already one of bronze medal in that if
something is your least favorite and you're still on
the paralytic polio you're doing something right
along now with twenty
four
looking to make twenty five she says she's most excited for
this event she really loves the challenge of putting together
all four strokes in addition to the insurance necessary to
finish
two hundred meter event
going into the breaststroke now
expect Jessica to hold on to this lead and then really open
it up into the final fifty when it's freestyle
she has the paralytic record at two thirty seven phone nine as
we said before thirty one world records to fall in this pool
during these Paralympic Games do you think two thirty five
thirty is within her reach
I don't put anything in the fridge for
the greater
she looks like she's serving really strongly you can see on
her breast are just
far she gets her legs out to the side
to really catch as much water as possible
how good Jessica long is here now on the breaststroke
she's basically lebron James is basically just a lot of the NBA
to put it into context and she's so dominant for so long
remember when she came to this Paralympic Games is back in
Athens at the
age of twelve
Jessica is the defending champion in this event from
the Rio Paralympic Games this is her only gold medal there and
she was so pleased and I know
she's looking to add another gold medal
here in Tokyo alone in the final fifty this is
the freestyle for her American hearing Shepparton lane number
will keep an eye on her on
metal walks with this is all just go along
she is taking control of this race from the outset and now she's
just crushing the rest of the competition
and she has a beautiful freestyle the bring it home
Jessica long at twenty nine years of age
has even discussed retirement
with
less than three years away she will continue to add to that
hall and
make it number twenty five for just a long
she claims
with him
there is no question about it Jessica long the queen of
the pool
another gold in dominating fashion four in a row in
the same event
in nearly seven thousand miles away
interpolate two broke girls