Don't let blond-haired, green-eyed, 16-year-old Jessica Long fool you into thinking that she's just a regular teenager. Underneath that smiling exterior lies the heart of a warrior.

Named Tatiana Olegovna Kirillova at birth, Long was adopted from Russia by her American family when she was 13 months old. Born without most of the bones in her lower legs and feet, she underwent massive surgery to amputate both her legs below the knees five months after arrival in the United States.

Amazingly, according to Steven Long, his daughter learned to walk on her own, without the assistance of physical therapy. Her parents were pleasantly surprised by her determination at such an early age, but it was only a glimpse of the spirit and strength that would eventually spur her to become a highly decorated swimmer.

Fitted with prosthetic legs, Long, like most little girls her age, enjoyed jumping, flipping and performing cartwheels - she had a great passion for gymnastics and many other sports. But with concerns of excessive physical strain, her parents encouraged her to dive into the swimming pool.

In the water, Long proved unstoppable.

In 2002, she joined her first competitive team. Thanks to determination and a lot of training, she exploded into the spotlight two years later by breaking five US records at a swim meet in January. She then put six more under her name, in addition to two Pan-American records, before heading to Athens for the 2004 Paralympic Games. At 12-years-old, Long was the youngest representative of the US Paralympic swim team.

(BOCOG September 8, 2008)

·American Jessica Long Wins Women's 100m Butterfly S8 Finals