Sports really taught me it was okay to take my legs off, Oksana Masters.

 

Sports really taught me it was okay to take my legs off, Oksana Masters.

However, ahead of the Paralympic Games, Team USA cyclist Oksana Masters says she is still motivated by "so many things," including the desire to defend the two gold medals she won in paracycling in Tokyo. She made her first move toward that aim on Wednesday when she successfully defended her championship in the women's H4-5 time trial, earning her the Paralympic gold medal with a final time of 23:45.20.

Masters will compete in the mixed team relay H1–5 on Saturday and the women’s road race H5 on Thursday, giving her the chance to increase her medal total to 20 this year.

Before her American mother, Gay Masters, adopted her, Masters, who was born in Ukraine with severe birth defects thought to be related to the Chernobyl nuclear accident, lived in orphanages for the first seven years of her life. Her birth defects included six toes, webbed fingers, no thumbs, and legs lacking weight-bearing bones.

Since taking home her first Paralympic medal in rowing at London 2012, the gifted multi-sport athlete has collected a total of 17 medals in six different Games editions in the disciplines of rowing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, and cycling, seven of which are gold.

"Sports really helped me learn that it's okay to show off my legs in front of people and still feel powerful, use my body in different ways, and express myself in a way that's unique to me," the woman remarked.

Masters is tenacious as well as gifted; following the London Paralympics, a back ailment forced her to give up rowing, so she gave cross-country skiing a go and won silver and bronze in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

She had just over a year to heal from leg surgery before she competed in the cycling event in Tokyo, where she took home two gold medals, nearly ten years later.

"It's not what you've been through," she continues. It's all you've done, your path forward, and the decisions you make. Furthermore, the scars serve as a reminder of your strength. A scar is a sign of strength and power, regardless of whether it was obtained through tree climbing or by accident.

Masters will compete in paracycling competitions this year. The 35-year-old competitor claimed she is constantly searching for the ideal race, one in which her goal is to finish on the podium regardless of the outcome.

"I believe that many sportsmen are striving for the ideal race. Furthermore, she says, "You know, what makes a perfect race isn't about the gold medal."