Long, Phelps Honored by USOC

Baltimore County swimmers made quite a showing recently when the United States Olympic Committee named its 2011-12 athletes and teams of the year.

Towson native Michael Phelps, who became the most decorated Olympian of all time when he won six medals in London this summer, was named the USOC's SportsMan of the Year.

Middle River resident Jessica Long was named the USOC's Paralympic SportsWoman of the year.

Phelps, 27, who was named to his first Olympic team in 2000 when he was 15, has participated in four Olympiads and has won a total of 22 medals (including 18 golds). While in London, he broke the previous record of 18 medals, held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.

Long, 20, participated in her third Paralympic games this summer in London. She won three gold medals in Athens in 2004 as a 12-year-old, and earned six medals in Beijing in 2008.

Her collection of eight medals from the London games puts her Paralympic medal total at 17 — and counting.

While Phelps said London was his final competition, Long said she has every intention to be at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016.

This is the third athlete of the year award for Phelps and the second for Long.

Phelps won the honor in 2004 and 2008 following the Athens and Beijing Olympics, respectively.

Long was named the USOC's Paralympian of the Year in 2006, before the organization started honoring a man and a woman each year.

Runner Allyson Felix was named Olympic SportsWoman of the Year and the U.S. women's eight rowing team was named Olympic Team of the Year.

Track and field athlete Raymond Martin was named Paralympic SportsMan of the Year and the men's quad doubles wheelchair tennis team was named the Paralympic Team of the Year.

For more information on the 2011-12 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athlete and team awards, including more detailed biographic sketches of each, visit TeamUSA.org and USParalympics.org.