The 20-year-old Russian-born star, who had both her lower legs amputated when she was 18 months old due to a defect at birth, proved her class at the US Paralympic swimming trials in North Dakota as she stormed to an astonishing five world records in her S8 class.

"My teammates and I have worked so hard so it's always super exciting to see how things turn out," Long (pictured above) said.

"We have all trained for this.

"It's exciting and I just feel really blessed to love what I do."

Long will be joined by another major gold medal hope in the form of 22-year-old Mallory Weggemann (pictured below), who won an astonishing eight gold medals at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) 2010 World Championships in Eindhoven while setting nine world records.


The astonishing feat came just over two years after Weggemann was paralysed from the waist down in January 2008 after she went for a series of three epidurals to help treat severe back pain before major complications with the procedure left her in a wheelchair and permanently disabled.

"Swimming has really saved me," said Weggemann.

"It wasn't long after I became paralysed that I remember sitting at the trials before Beijing and watching the competition with my sister and wondering what would lie ahead for me.

"It's been an amazing journey and I'm excited for that next step."

The pair are part of a team featuring 20 women and 14 men, with one of the biggest American male hopes at London 2012 set to be 23-year-old double Paralympic champion Rudy Garcia-Tolson (pictured below).


Garcia-Tolson was born with rare, multiple birth defects which saw him have a combination of crippling pterygium syndrome, a club foot, webbed fingers on both hands and a cleft lip and palate.

But he has courageously battled to become one of the top disability swimmers on the planet.

The team will hope to better their impressive medal tally from the Beijing 2008 Paralympics where they finished first in the official medal count for the sport with a total of 44 medals, consisting of 17 golds, 22 silvers and 13 bronzes.

To view the full team click here.

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