Oksana Masters is a multi sport medalist in World Cups, World Championships and The Paralympic Games. She has won medals in Nordic Cross Country and Hand Cycling, along with Rowing and in Biathlon. She was the first woman to win medals in multi sports in both summer and winter Paralympic games.
Oksana‘s story is inspiring to say the least. Oksana was born in the Ukraine and lived most of her young life in several orphanages. Due to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Oksana was born with several birth defects including tibial hemimelia. When Oksana turned seven she was adopted by Ms. Gay Masters, an American speech language pathology professor, with no children of her own. After moving to the United States in 1997, both of Oksana‘s legs were eventually amputated above-the-knee due to her multiple orthopedic issues. Her legs had become increasingly painful and were no longer able to support her weight. Oksana has also had surgery on both of her hands to increase her functional ability as she was born without thumbs. These problems have obviously not hindered her drive and determination for greatness.
Oksana began her career in sports at the age of 13 and has traveled worldwide setting Paralympic and World Records. Her travels recently brought her to Oklahoma City, to world renowned Prosthetic facility Scott Sabolich Prosthetics. Scott Sabolich Prosthetics, specializes in difficult to fit and in high-level elite athletes. Scott and his team were eager to get started fitting Oksana with her new every day legs with Ottobock X3 knees and Ossur ProFlex Align feet. In the process, Oksana also received a grant from the Wiggle your Toes foundation for two new running blade prostheses. Scott Sabolich stated, “It is really a testament to our life‘s passion to have elite athletes like Oksana travel from halfway across the United States to see us. We are truly honored to showcase our talents and help her achieve her goals at the Paralympic games in Tokyo next summer.”
The Paralympic games are scheduled to begin on August 24, 2021. You can follow along with Oksana’s training progress at oksanamastersusa.com or on Instagram and Facebook.
