U.S. Paralympian Oksana Masters reflects on winning 22 medals: "My cheeks are hurting from smiling"

March 12, 2026

TL;DR

Oksana Masters has won three gold medals at the Milan Paralympics, bringing her total medal count to 22.
She secured her 20th medal in the Para biathlon sprint sitting and two more in Para cross-country skiing.
Masters' season was challenging, including surgery, a bone infection, and a concussion.
She draws resilience from her childhood as an orphan in Ukraine and her eventual adoption by an American couple.
Masters believes her personal journey of overcoming adversity, including leg amputations due to radiation exposure from the Chernobyl disaster, parallels her athletic career.
This was Masters' eighth Paralympics, having competed in both summer and winter events since 2012.
She finds uniqueness in the constantly changing conditions of cross-country skiing in the Winter Paralympics.
Masters aims to be a role model, showing that success doesn't follow a perfect timeline and encouraging others not to give up.
Her mother is a significant source of inspiration and motivation.
The U.S. is second in the medal count at the Paralympics with 12 medals, behind China with 14.

Continue reading the original article