29 Facts About Oksana Masters

Oksana Oleksandrivna Masters was born on June 19,1989 and is an American multi-sport Paralympic athlete from Louisville, Kentucky.

Oksana Masters was a part of the US Nordic skiing team at the 2014 Winter Paralympics and the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

Oksana Masters won two Paralympic medals in 2014 and five Paralympic medals in 2018, including two gold.

Oksana Masters switched to para-cycling after the 2012 Paralympics and competed at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics, winning two gold medals at the latter.

Oksana Masters was born Oksana Masters Alexandrovna Bondarchuk in 1989, in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, three years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, with several radiation-induced birth defects, including tibial hemimelia which resulted in different leg lengths, missing weight-bearing shinbones in her calves, webbed fingers with no thumbs, and six toes on each foot.

Oksana Masters was abandoned by her birth parents, and given to a Ukrainian orphanage; she would continue to transition to two more orphanages until age 7.

One night Lainey and Oksana Masters snuck out to get food, but Oksana Masters slipped and hit a chair.

Oksana Masters managed to hide but heard them hit Lainey six times.

Oksana Masters had surgery to modify her fingers on each hand so they could function as thumbs.

When Oksana Masters arrived in the US, her mother was a professor at the University at Buffalo; she moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 2001 when her mother took a faculty position at the University of Louisville, and graduated from the city's Atherton High School in 2008.

Oksana Masters began adaptive rowing in 2002 at age 13, shortly before her right leg was amputated.

Oksana Masters was the first adaptive sculler to compete in the Indianapolis Rowing Club "Head of the Eagle" regatta, winning the women's open singles event in the process.

In preparation for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Oksana Masters teamed with Rob Jones, a United States Marine Corps veteran who lost both legs to an IED explosion in Afghanistan.

Oksana Masters has since taken up para-cycling and cross country skiing.

Oksana Masters placed fourth and eighth in two biathlon events.

Oksana Masters sustained a back injury during this time and gave up rowing as a result.

Oksana Masters took up cycling as part of the recovery process.

Oksana Masters won her first Paralympic gold medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the cross-country skiing women's 1.5 km sprint classical event after experiencing multiple setbacks.

Oksana Masters had injured her elbow three weeks prior to the Games and had withdrawn from a biathlon event the day before after falling during the race.

Oksana Masters won five medals total from those Games, three in cross-country and two in biathlon.

Oksana Masters won the gold medal in the cross-country skiing's 5 km sitting event and the bronze medal in the cross-country skiing's 12 km sitting event.

Oksana Masters won silver medals in the 6 km sitting biathlon event and the 12.5 km sitting biathlon event.

Oksana Masters won the silver medal in the women's 6km sitting biathlon event at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships held in Lillehammer, Norway.

Oksana Masters won the bronze medal in the women's 10km sitting biathlon event.

Oksana Masters has twice been nominated for an ESPY for her Nordic skiing in the category of Best Female Athlete with a Disability.

Oksana Masters has won two green World Cup medals and a bronze medal at the UCI Para-Cycling Worlds.

Oksana Masters competed in hand-cycling events in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, where she placed 4th in the road race event and 5th in the timed trial.

Oksana Masters is in a relationship with American paralympian Aaron Pike.

Oksana Masters was named one of the "11 Hottest Paralympic Athletes" by msn NOW, was named one of ten US athletes to watch by The Guardian, and posed nude for ESPN The Magazine's annual "The Body Issue".