Oksana Masters: the most decorated Winter Paralympian of all time

By: Kaitlyn Belile, Features Editor

Oksana Masters, a Paralympic athlete who faced more adversity in her first seven years of life than most people do in their entire lives, just won five medals in this past Winter Paralympics. 

Masters was born in 1989 in Ukraine, three years after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe. Due to their close proximity to the site of the incident, the radiation affected Masters and her mother, which caused her to be born with six toes on each foot, five webbed fingers on each hand, no thumbs, Tibia Hemimilla and both of her legs were missing weight-bearing bones. These defects would obviously require extensive medical attention, so Masters was given up for adoption. She experienced a lot of tragedy and hardship in the orphanages, and after turning seven, she was adopted by her mother, Gay Masters. 

Her mother brought her from Ukraine to Buffalo, N.Y., and they lived here for five years before moving to Kentucky. In an article in The Players’ Tribune by Oksana Masters, she talked about her experience with such a drastic change between her life in foster care to when her mother adopted her. Masters wrote about this change stating, “It just seemed way too good to be true. I mean, the orphanage I lived in before I was adopted barely even had electricity.” 

Masters won gold medals in the Para Biathlon, Para Cross-Country Skiing - Women’s Sprint, Women’s 10km, and the Mixed 4x2.5km relay, and won a bronze medal in Para Cross-Country Skiing - Women’s 20km – all of which she does sitting.

Masters won the most medals out of any athlete and is now the most decorated Winter Paralympian of all time.