EmRata Freed The Nip During A Braless Dog Walk

As a little kid, Jessica Long liked to pretend she was a mermaid. Every Sunday she’d visit her grandparents and swim in their pool, and no one could ever get her out of the water. “Being a bilateral amputee, the pool was a place that gave me freedom,” the 32-year-old tells Bustle. “It still gives me that same sense of freedom today.”

Long has raced in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and now Paris. In total, she’s won 29 medals: 16 gold, eight silver, and five bronze, making her one of the most decorated Paralympians in the world.

“I no longer have anything to prove,” she says. “For me, this year is about proving that others can do this, too.”