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Giles Long

Giles Long
Medal record
Swimming (S8), (SM8)
Representing  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 100 m Butterfly PR
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 100 m Butterfly WR
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 4×100 m Freestyle (heats)
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m Medley Relay
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 4×100 m Medley Relay
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta 200 m Individual Medley
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 100 m Butterfly
IPC World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Malta 100 m Butterfly WR
Silver medal – second place 1994 Malta 4×100 m Freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Christchurch, NZ 100 m Butterfly
Silver medal – second place 2002 Mar Del Plata, Argentina 100 m Butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Malta 200 m Individual Medley
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Christchurch, NZ 4×100 m Medley Relay
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Mar Del Plata, Argentina 200 m Individual Medley
IPC European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1995 Perpignan, France 100 m Butterfly ER
Gold medal – first place 1999 Braunsweig, Germany 100 m Butterfly ER
Gold medal – first place 1999 Braunsweig, Germany 200 m Individual Medley ER
Gold medal – first place 2001 Stockholm, Sweden 100 m Butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1995 Perpignan, France 200 m Individual Medley
Silver medal – second place 2001 Stockholm, Sweden 200 m Individual Medley

Giles Bruce Long MBE (born 9 July 1976, Harold Wood, Northeast London), is a retired British swimmer, public speaker, TV presenter & commentator. He is also the inventor of Lexi.

Long's international swimming career highlight was winning gold in the S8 100 m Butterfly in a new World Record time at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

The 1994 World Championships was his first major international. He won gold in the S8 100 m butterfly, breaking the world record in the process. He represented Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, and won three medals, including gold in the 100 m butterfly. He competed again at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, where he won two gold medals and one silver, and set a new world record in the 100 m butterfly. He also took part in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, winning bronze in the S8 100 m Butterfly.

In 2005, Long was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

He announced his retirement from competitive swimming in 2007.

On 5 July 2012 he was a Torchbearer as part of the Olympic Torch Relay. He was the first leg of Day 48 and started on top of Norwich Castle. He then carried the torch down inside the castle and round the walls before passing the flame on as it travelled towards Ipswich.

Long grew up in Braintree, Essex in the UK. He enjoyed being in the water and joined Braintree & Bocking Swimming Club in 1983 aged seven.

At the age of 13 he was diagnosed with an Osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in his right Humerus (the bone which connects shoulder to elbow). He underwent chemotherapy at University College Hospital, London and had an operation to insert a full humeral prosthetic replacement (a metal bone) into his right arm at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH), Stanmore. After the treatment and operation Long resumed swimming and returned to able-bodied competition though by now swimming with just his left arm.


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Wikipedia

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