Nationality American Height 1.73 m Name Oksana Masters | Event(s) Mixed Sculls Country USA Weight 55 kg | |
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Birth name Oksana Alexandrovna Bondarchuk Website Oksana Masters athlete bio Similar People Tatyana McFadden, Anna Tunnicliffe, Maya Gabeira, Daniela Hantuchova, Amy Purdy Profiles | ||
Oksana masters biathlon training at the nordic skiing housing
Oksana Masters (born June 19, 1989) is a Ukrainian-born American Paralympic rower and cross-country skier from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she won the first ever United States medal in trunk and arms mixed double sculls. She was named to the U.S. Nordic skiing team for the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
Contents
- Oksana masters biathlon training at the nordic skiing housing
- Oksana masters fire works after the medal ceremony at the rosa khutor alpine centre
- Early life
- Rowing
- 2012 London Paralympic Games
- Media appearances
- References
Oksana masters fire works after the medal ceremony at the rosa khutor alpine centre
Early life
Oksana was born with several radiation-induced birth defects, including tibial hemimelia (resulting in different leg lengths), missing weight-bearing shinbones in her calves, webbed fingers with no thumbs, and six toes on each foot. She was abandoned by her birth parents at a Ukrainian orphanage where she lived until age 7. After she turned 7, Oksana was adopted by Gay Masters, an unmarried American speech therapy 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—her left leg at age eight and her right leg at age 13—as they became increasingly painful and unable to support her weight. Oksana also had surgery to modify her innermost fingers on each hand so they could function as thumbs.
When she arrived in the U.S., 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.
Rowing
Masters began adaptive rowing in 2002 at age 13, shortly before her right leg was amputated. She continued afterward and began adaptive rowing competitively. In 2010, she competed at the CRASH-B Sprints, setting a world record in the process. She was also 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 2011, Masters and teammate Augusto Perez placed second at the Adaptive World Championship trials.
2012 London Paralympic Games
In preparation for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Masters teamed with Rob Jones, a United States Marine Corps veteran who lost both legs to an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Masters and Jones called themselves "Team Bad Company" and proceeded to win both the Adaptive World Championships Trials and the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta by substantial margins.
On September 2, at the 2012 London Paralympics, Masters and Jones finished third—winning the first-ever United States medal (bronze) in trunk and arms mixed double sculls with a final time of 4:05.56. They finished behind China (gold) and France (silver) while just edging out Great Britain.
Media appearances
Masters' life story has been featured in a number of media sources, including Spirit, Southwest Airlines' in-flight magazine and Sports Illustrated. She was also named one of the "11 hottest paralympic athletes" by msn NOW, was named one of ten U.S. athletes to watch by The Guardian, and posed nude for ESPN The Magazine's annual "Body Issue". Apple featured her in a "Making a difference. One app at a time." video, where she explains how her life changed with iOS apps. USA Today Paralympian Oksana Masters pursues cycling spot in Rio