U.S. picks up more Paralympic medals in equestrian, swimming

PARIS -- The United States equestrian team won three more medals in Paralympics dressage Saturday, as Fiona Howard and Rebecca Hart clinched their third gold medals of the Paris Games.

Howard, in her first Paralympics, won the Grade II individual freestyle, and the veteran Hart won in Grade III. Earlier, teammate Kate Shoemaker claimed bronze in Grade IV.

Riders compete in five grades, with Grade I for the most severely impaired riders.

Howard and Hart previously won individual golds this week and helped the U.S. win the team event Friday.

Long may it continue

American swimmer Jessica Long extended her mammoth Paralympic medal collection to 31 with gold in the S8 100-meter butterfly.

She won in 1 minute, 10.59 seconds at La Défense Arena, finishing one second clear of Viktoriia Ishchiulova. Britain's Alice Tai was third.

The 32-year-old Long also won the women's 400 freestyle on Wednesday.

Her Paralympic career started when she was 12 and won three golds at the 2004 Athens Games.

S8 is for swimmers with the absence of limbs. Long is a double amputee.