Oksana Masters is an American Paralympic rower, cross-country skier, cyclist and biathlete of Ukrainian descent from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she won the United States’ first-ever medal in the mixed trunk-arms double scull. She was also part of the USA Nordic Ski Team at the 2014 Winter Paralympics and the 2018 Winter Paralympics. She won many Paralympic medals, including two gold medals.
Early life
Oksana Masters was born on June 19, 1989 in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine with several radiation-induced defects at the time of her birth, including shin hemimelia (different leg lengths), she was also born without load-bearing shins in her calves, also has webbed fingers without thumbs and six toes on each foot, so her birth parents left her in a Ukrainian orphanage because of these defects and lived there until she was 7 years old. She was then adopted by Gay Masters, an unmarried American professor of speech therapy at the University of Buffalo, NY.
After being adopted in 1997, she emigrated to the United States and both of her legs were eventually severed above the knee as it could no longer support her weight and became more painful. She had also undergone surgery to modify the fingers of each hand so they could function as thumbs. According to various online site sources, Oksana graduated from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky in 2008 and then graduated from DeVry University, Business Management.
Oksana Masters career
Rowing Career
She began her rowing career in 2002 at the age of 13, just before her right leg was severed, and then resumed it. After that, in 2010, she competed in the CRASH-B sprints, where she set a world record. She also made a name for herself as the first adaptive rower to compete in the Indianapolis Rowing Club’s “Head of the Eagle” regatta and win the Women’s Open Singles event. In 2011, Oksana and her teammate Augusto Perez placed second at the Adaptive World Championship Trials in West Windsor, New Jersey. In preparation for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Oksana teamed up with Rob Jones, a United States Marine Corps veteran who lost his legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan.
Then they called themselves “Team Bad Company” and won both the Adaptive World Championships Trials and the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta by a clear margin. On September 21, they placed third at the London 2012 Paralympics, winning the United States’ first-ever medal in the mixed trunk-arms doubles sculls with a finishing time of 4:05.56. A back injury has prevented Oksana from competitive rowing since winning a bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympics. After that she started paracycling and cross-country skiing.
Cycling Career
Oksana Masters has won 2 bronze medals in the World Cup and a bronze medal at the UCI Para-Cycling Worlds. At the 2016 Paralympic Games, she competed in handcycle racing in Rio, where she begged for 4th place in the road race and 5th place in the time trial. She then won a gold medal in the time trial and road race at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Cross country skiing career
After winning a medal in rowing at the 2012 Paralympics, Oksana also went cross-country skiing. At the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, she won a silver medal in the Nordic 12 km and a bronze medal in the Nordic 5 km, after which she placed 4th and 8th in two biathlon competitions, then recovered from a back injury injury during this time and gave up rowing as a result. She then took up cycling as part of the recovery process. At the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the women’s classic 1.5 km sprint, Oksana won her first Paralympic gold medal after several setbacks. She then injured her elbow three weeks before her games and withdrew from a biathlon event a day earlier after falling during the race.
After that, she won 5 medals at these games, 3 in cross-country skiing and 2 in biathlon. She received a gold medal in the 5K sitting and the bronze medal in the 12K sitting. She won silver medals in the 6 km biathlon sitting and 12.5 km biathlon sitting. In Lillehammer, Norway, in 2021, she won the silver medal in the women’s 6 km biathlon sitting, Para Snow Sports World Championships. She also won the bronze medal in the women’s 10 km sitting biathlon. In cross-country skiing, she won the gold medal in the women’s long distance sitting.
Nordic Biathlon
It’s a winter sport that’s a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting and involves resilience, focus and strength. In this sport, Oksana won a silver medal in 2018 for 6 km and 12.5 km biathlon, a silver medal in 2021 for sprint biathlon and individual biathlon, and won a bronze medal for middle distance and individual biathlon. Oksana was twice nominated for an ESPY in the Best Female Athlete with a Disability category for her Nordic skiing.
Oksana Master’s biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Oksana Alexandrovna Bondarchuk |
| date of birth | June 19, 1989 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 32 years |
| place of birth | Khmelnytskyi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| nationality | American |
| job | Athlete |
| Sport | Adaptive rowing, Para-cycling, Cross-country skiing, Biathlon |
| religion | Christianity |
| sun sign | – |
Physical Statistics | |
| height | in feet inches – 5′ 8” – in centimeters – 173cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 55kg – in pounds – 122 pounds |
| shoe size | 7 (USA) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| eye color | Brown |
| body type | Sporty |
Oksana Masters Family | |
| father | – |
| mother | Gay Masters |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | – |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | Atherton High School |
| University | – |
Relationship status | |
| marital status | In a relationship |
| affair | Yes |
| Who is Oksana Masters’ boyfriend? | Aaron Pikes |
Personal life
According to sources available through online sites, Oksana Masters has been in a relationship with fellow skier Aaron Pike since 2014. Although Oksana and Aaron Pike have been living together for almost five years, they have not yet planned to get married. Moreover, both express their love on their personal social media handles.
Oksana Masters Social media
According to sources, Oksana is known to have a social media account on Instagram, Twitter (as of February 2022), and Facebook with 31.5k, 6,025, and 9.5k followers, respectively. Taking her media exposure into account, her life-inspiring story has been featured in various media houses including Spirit, Southwest Airlines’ inflight magazine, and Sports Illustrated.
She was also subsequently named by MSN NOW as one of the 11 Hottest Paralympic Athletes, by The Guardian as one of 10 US Athletes to Watch, and finally she also appeared in Apple in an ad titled “Making a difference. One app after another.” video, and there she explains how her life has changed with the iOS app.
Oksana Masters Net Worth
According to available sources, Oksana Masters net worth from her earnings as an athlete is estimated at $500,000. Also, as an athlete, she supports commercials for companies: Toyota and Proctor & Gamble, so she makes money from that, too.
Facts About Oksana Masters
- Her favorite foods include pickles, bacon and salmon.
- She loves animals and likes to drink coffee, her favorite type of coffee is Americano, and she dreams of starting a café
- In 2012, she won US Rowing’s Female Athlete of the Year title.
- She won seven Paralympic medals including two gold.
- She is of Ukrainian descent from Louisville, Kentucky.
Oksana, You are simply amazing. I read your book and am motivated and encouraged every day by your attitude and sheer will to be the best at everything you do! You touched the world!