2026年3月7日 / 美国东部时间下午1:04 / 美联社
周六在米兰科尔蒂纳举行的残奥会上，美国冬季残奥会获奖最多的选手奥克萨娜·马斯特斯（Oksana Masters）意外地将自己的残奥会奖牌总数提升至20枚，这一成绩甚至超出了她自己的预期。
在克服了一系列阻碍她赛前准备的逆境后，马斯特斯在残奥冬季两项女子坐姿短距离项目中成功夺冠，击败了同为美国选手的肯德尔·格雷奇（Kendall Gretsch）。
“哦我的天，我的情绪完全是震惊。我根本没料到会这样。我当时唯一的希望就是在射击场上能有个好表现，”她说，“老实说，我没指望能站上领奖台，更别说是金牌了。”
这是她的第六枚冬季残奥会金牌，此外她还在夏季残奥会上获得了4枚金牌。自2012年以来，她参加了每一届残奥会，在冬季残奥会中获得了越野滑雪和冬季两项的奖牌，在夏季残奥会中获得了自行车和赛艇的奖牌。
[配图说明] 奥克萨娜·马斯特斯在2026年意大利泰塞罗冬季残奥会女子坐姿残奥冬季两项短距离比赛中参赛。 Kirsty Wigglesworth / 美联社
马斯特斯刚刚经历了一个艰难的赛季，期间包括接受手术、骨感染和脑震荡。
“我开始意识到这就是我的特质。我参加奥运会时必须面对逆境，尽管我并不喜欢这样，”她说，“这个夏天一开始就要做手术，然后过去三周我因为感染和脑震荡完全无法训练，一直在挣扎，只能相信这个过程并耐心等待。这就是为什么这个（金牌）对我意义如此重大，我完全没想到会这样。”
她感谢了自己“不可思议的团队”帮助她重返赛场并再次取得胜利。
“我是那个冲过终点线的运动员，但我们有一整个团队，包括教练，他们和我们一起欢呼，还有我们的滑雪板和打蜡团队，”她说。
马斯特斯目前在冬季残奥会中共获得15枚奖牌，夏季残奥会获得5枚。她在2022年北京残奥会上成为首位在一届残奥会上参加七个项目并赢得七枚奖牌的美国人。
[配图说明] 奥克萨娜·马斯特斯在2026年意大利泰塞罗冬季残奥会女子坐姿残奥冬季两项短距离比赛中参赛。 Kirsty Wigglesworth / 美联社
36岁的马斯特斯出生于乌克兰，据信其出生缺陷与切尔诺贝利核事故有关。她早年在乌克兰的孤儿院度过，后来被一位美国父亲收养。她9岁时左腿截肢，14岁时右腿截肢。
“对我来说，我有一个非常强烈的‘为什么’，因为每一次划行对我来说都至关重要，”她说，“这是为了每一位残奥选手，每一位被忽视的残疾运动员，那些被告知他们永远不够格、不属于这个赛场的人。这帮助我克服了那些逆境。”
American Oksana Masters wins 20th Paralympic medal: “My emotions are just pure shock”
March 7, 2026 / 1:04 PM EST / AP
Oksana Masters, the most decorated American Winter Paralympian, surprised even herself by adding a 20th Paralympic medal to her overall tally at Milan Cortina on Saturday.
After overcoming a series of adversities that hindered her preparations in the leadup to the Games, Masters came through with victory in the women’s sprint sitting discipline in Para biathlon, finishing ahead of fellow American Kendall Gretsch.
“Oh my gosh, my emotions are just pure shock. I did not expect this. All I was hoping was just to have a good time in the shooting range,” she said. “I did not expect a podium finish to be honest, let alone a gold.”
It was her sixth Winter Paralympic gold medal to go along with her four victories at the Summer Paralympics. She has competed in every Paralympics since 2012, earning medals in Para cross-country and Para biathlon in the winter and Para cycling and Para rowing in the summer.
Oksana Masters competes in the Para Biathlon Women’s sprint sitting at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Tesero, Italy. Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Masters was coming off a difficult season that included surgery, a bone infection and a concussion.
“I’m starting to realize that’s who I am. I have to have adversity going into the Games, although I don’t like it,” she said. “The summer started out with surgery and then the last three weeks have been just absolutely a lot of time away from training, with infection and with a concussion, and battling, and just trusting the process and waiting. This is why this just means so much more, I did not expect this.”
She thanked her “incredible team” to help her bounce back and triumph again.
“I’m the athlete that crosses the finish line, but we have an entire team with our coaches that are cheering with us, and our skis and our wax team,” she said.
Masters now has won 15 medals in the Winter Games and five medals in the Summer Games. She became the first American to win seven medals — in seven events — at a single Paralympics in Beijing 2022.
Oksana Masters competes in the Para Biathlon Women’s sprint sitting at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Tesero, Italy. Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
The 36-year-old Masters was born in Ukraine with birth defects believed to be related to the Chernobyl nuclear accident. She had to go through orphanages at an early age in Ukraine before being adopted by an American father. She had her left leg amputated at age 9, and her right leg amputated at age 14.
“For me, I have a very strong ‘why’, where every single stroke for me counts,” she said. “It’s for every Paralympian, every athlete with a disability that was overlooked and was told they were never going to be enough and didn’t belong. That helps me overcome those adversities.”
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