Oksana Masters
17-Time Paralympic Medalist
Nordic Skiing (Cross Country & Biathlon), Road Hand Cycling, and Rowing
A native of Ukraine who ultimately came to the United States via the generosity and love of an adoptive parent, Gay Masters at the age of 7 1/2., Oksana was born with congenital disabilities as a direct cause of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Over time, ultimately in the United States, her mom had to make the tough choice to amputate her leg above the knee and Oksana had to choose when to amputate the other because her legs were not able to bear weight on them. Her first procedure was on her left leg at age 9 and her right leg at age 14. During her childhood, she also had reconstruction surgery on both hands three times due to birth defects and webbing in her hands.
At the age of 13, Oksana found sports and started with rowing where she joined the USA Rowing Paralympic team in 2011 going on to win a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games. In late winter of 2012, Oksana added Nordic skiing and biathlon along with adding a silver and bronze medal from the 2014 Sochi Games. In the summer of 2014, Oksana added hand cycling and earned a 4th and 6th place finish at the 2016 Rio Games. In 2018, Oksana's journey to Pyeongchang was unsure after dislocating her elbow two weeks before the Paralympics. She not only competed in six races taking home two gold, two silver, and a bronze; she represented the United States by carrying the flag in the closing ceremonies.
“To be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”
- CoCo Channel
Paralympic Highlights
- 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympic Games - Nordic skiing and Biathlon: Two Gold Cross Country (1.1km and 5km); Two Silver Biathlon (6km and 12.5km); Bronze Cross Country (12km)
- 2016 Rio Paralympic Games - Hand Cycling: 4th place (road race); 5th place (cycling - time trial)
- 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games - Nordic skiing: Silver Cross Country (12km); Bronze Cross Country (5km)
- *2012 London Paralympic Games - Rowing: Bronze (trunk and arms) Mixed Double Skulls
World Championships Highlights
- 2017 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships: Gold - cross-country sprint freestyle, middle distance freestyle and long distance classic and biathlon middle distance; Bronze - biathlon long distance
- 2015 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships: Silver - cross-country middle distance classic; Bronze - cross-country sprint
- 2015 Cycling Road World Championships Bronze in Road Race, 4th in TT
World Cups Highlights
- 40 World Cup Podiums Nordics Skiing and Biathlon(26 Golds, 7 Silver, 7 Bronze)
- 2015/16/17 IPC Overall World Cup Champion Cross-Country Skiing
- 2015 Cycling 2 World Cup Podiums (2 Bronze)
- 2011 Rowing World Cup Qualifier-Gold
Career Highlights
- 2014/15/16/17 Team USA Awards Athlete of the Year Nominee - Paralympic
- 2014/15/16/17 ESPYS Nominee, Best Female Athlete w/a disability
- 2014 IPC Nordic Skiing, became first American female to win Gold in Nordic in Olympic and Paralympic history
- 2012 ESPN the Magazine’s the BODY issue participant
- 2012 U.S. Rowing’s Female Athlete of the Year
Social Media
Instagram - @oksanamasters- 19,900
Facebook - Facebook.com/oksanamasters - 7,780
Twitter - @OksanaMasters- 4,468
espnW - April 29, 2022
As war rages in Ukraine, Paralympian and gold medalist Oksana Masters brings hope to her country
Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine in 1989 with tibial hemimelia, a congenital disorder caused by the Chernobyl nuclear reactor incident. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right and both legs were missing weight-bearing bones. She was born with six toes on each foot, five webbed fingers on each hand and no thumbs. Masters, 32, lived in various orphanages for seven years until she was adopted by her mother, Gay Masters, and moved to the United States.
Cosmopolitan- Jan 31, 2018
I Was An Orphan With Several Birth Defects. Today, I Am A Paralympic Athlete.
I was born in the Ukraine, on June 19, 1989, with severely deformed legs – my left leg was six inches shorter than my right and I was missing weight-bearing bones [in both]. I also had six webbed toes on each foot, five webbed fingers on each hand, no thumbs, one kidney, and no enamel in my teeth.
New York Times- March 9, 2018
Oksana Master's Road From a Ukrainian Orphanage to Paralympic Stardom
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Twenty years ago, it would have been hard to imagine 8-year-old Oksana Masters — three feet tall, 35 pounds, no thumbs and misshapen legs — included in an NBC montage of the world’s best athletes, or having her face plastered on train station posters.
Players’ Tribune- March 12, 2020
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this.
I didn’t know if I wanted to say everything that happened to me. Or even how to….
Honestly, I’m still working through it all. I think that’s what I want people to know, more than anything, as they watch this video. There isn’t a beginning, middle, and ending of my story……. not yet. There are just pieces. There are the pieces that I’m slowly taking apart, and then there are the pieces that I’m just as slowly putting back together. There are the pieces that come attached to experiences of trauma, and then there are the pieces that bring me feelings of release. But they are all just pieces.