Oksana Masters is an American Paralympian athlete trained in cross-country skiing, rowing, cycling, and biathlon and she was considered as a multi- medalist in world cups, world championship, and paralympic summer- winter sports and was a member of the US summer Paralympic team.
Early Life
Oksana Masters was born on 19th June 1989 in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine with several radiation-induced defects at the time of her birth, which included tibial hemimelia (different leg lengths), also she was born without weight-bearing shinbones in her calves, also she has webbed fingers with no thumbs, and six toes on each foot, so from these defects her biological parents abandoned her at a Ukrainian orphanage and there she lived till the age of 7 years. After that, she was adopted by Gay Masters, who was an unmarried American speech therapist professor at the University at Buffalo, NY.
After being adopted, in the year 1997, she migrated to the USA, and her both legs were eventually detached above the knee as it wasn’t capable of giving support to her weight and became more painful. She also had undergone surgery to modify the fingers of each hand so they could operate as thumbs. According to various sources from online sites, in 2008, Oksana has completed her schooling at Atherton High School from Louisville, Kentucky, and then completed her graduation from DeVry University, Business Management.
Oksana Masters Career
Rowing
She began her rowing career in the year 2002 at age of 13 years, shortly before her right leg was detached, then, she continued again. Afterward, in the year 2010, she competed in the CRASH-B Sprints, where she made a world record. She was also made her name to be the first adaptive sculler to compete in the Indianapolis Rowing Club ‘Head of the Eagle’ regatta, winning 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. While preparing for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Oksana teamed with Rob Jones, a United States Marine Corps veteran, who lost his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.
Then, they called themselves ‘Team Bad Company’ and won both the Adaptive World Championships Trials and the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta by substantial margins. On 21st September, at the 2012 London Paralympics, they finished the third position and became the first-ever United States medal in trunk and arms mixed double sculls with a final time of 4:05.56. Due to a back injury, Oksana has given up competitive rowing since winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. Thereafter, she has taken up para-cycling and cross-country skiing.
Cycling
Oksana Masters has won 2 bronze World Cup medals and a bronze medal at the UCI Para-Cycling Worlds. In the 2016 Paralympic Game, she competed in hand-cycling events in Rio, where she begged the 4th in the road race event and 5th in the timed trial. Then, in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, she achieved a gold medal in the timed trial and the road race.
Cross country skiing
Following her medal win in rowing at the 2012 Paralympics, Oksana also went with cross-country skiing. In the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, she won a silver medal in the 12 km Nordic and a bronze medal in the 5 km Nordic, then after, she also placed 4th and 8th in two biathlon events, then she recovered from a back injury during that time and gave up rowing due to this reason. Then, she took up cycling as part of the recovery process. At the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the cross-country skiing women’s 1.5 km sprint classical event, Oksana won her first Paralympic gold medal after experiencing multiple setbacks. Then, she has injured her elbow three weeks before her Games and withdrawn from a biathlon event the day before after falling during the race.
After that, she won 5 medals from those Games, 3 in cross-country skiing and 2 in biathlon. She received a 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. She bagged silver medals in the 6 km sitting biathlon event and the 12.5 km sitting biathlon event. In Lillehammer, Norway, she won the silver medal in the women’s 6 km sitting biathlon event in the year 2021, World Para Snow Sports Championships. She also won the bronze medal in the women’s 10 km sitting biathlon event. In cross-country skiing, she won the gold medal in the women’s long-distance sitting event.
Nordic biathlon
It is a winter sport that is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, that includes resilience, focus, and strength, in this sport, Oksana has earned a silver medal in 2018 for 6km and 12.5 km biathlon has won a silver medal in the year 2021 for sprint biathlon and individual biathlon and won a bronze medal for middle distance and in individual biathlon. Oksana has been nominated twice for an ESPY for her Nordic skiing in the category of Best Female Athlete with a Disability.
Oksana Masters Biography |
|
|---|---|
| Real Name | Oksana Alexandrovna Bondarchuk |
| Birth Date | 19 June 1989 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 32 Years |
| Birth Place | Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Paralympic rower |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | |
Physical Statistics |
|
 |
|
| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 8” – in Centimeters – 173 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 55 kg – in Pounds – 122 lbs |
| Shoe Size | 7 (U.S.) |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Body Type | Athletic |
Family |
|
| Father | – |
| Mother | Gay Masters |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
Qualification/Education |
|
| School | Atherton High School |
| College | – |
Relationship Status |
|
 |
|
| Marital Status | In Relationship |
| Affair | Yes |
| Who is her boyfriend? | Aaron Pike |
Personal Life
According to the sources available through online sites, Oksana Masters is in a relationship with her fellow skier, Aaron Pike since the year 2014. In spite of living together for almost five years, Oksana and Aaron Pike, yet haven’t planned to get married, moreover, both of them express their love on their personal social media handles.
Social Media
According to sources, it is known that Oksana has social media account on Instagram, Twitter (since, July 2021), and Facebook with 31.3K, 5989, and 9.5K followers respectively. Taking into consideration her media appearance, her life inspiring story has been featured in various media houses, including Spirit, Southwest Airlines’ in-flight magazine, and Sports Illustrated. After that, she was also named as one of 11 Hottest Paralympic Athletes by MSN NOW, one of ten U.S. athletes to watch by The Guardian, and lastly, she also appeared in Apple in an ad called “Making a difference. One app at a time.” video, and there she explains how her life changed with the iOS app.
Oksana Masters Net Worth
As per the sources available, Oksana Masters’s net worth is estimated to be $500 thousand from her earnings as an athlete. Besides, being an athlete, she also endorses commercials for companies: Toyota and Proctor & Gamble, so she also earns from that.
Trivia
- Her favorite foods include pickles, bacon, and salmon.
- Has an animal lover and loves to drink coffee and her favorite coffee type is the Americano, besides this, she dreams of establishing a coffee shop
- In 2012, she won the title of U.S. Rowing’s Female Athlete of the Year.
- She has Ukrainian descent from Louisville, Kentucky.
