A Ukraine-born U.S. skier who suffered radiation-induced birth defects following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster says she is “on cloud nine” after winning Winter Paralympic gold in South Korea.
“I’ve been chasing this gold medal for such a long time,” 28-year-old Oksana Masters said on March 14, after winning her first Paralympic gold in the 1.1-kilometer cross-country sprint skiing in PyeongChang.
Masters also won a silver in biathlon and a bronze in long-distance cross-country skiing at the PyeongChang Paralympics.
She also won silver and bronze medals at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, and a bronze in rowing at the London 2012 Summer Paralympics.
“I am so happy I have been able to channel all the things that I went through when I was younger and make them into something positive,” Masters said.