USA’s Oksana Masters wins 8th Paralympic gold by defending para cycling time trial title

Paralympic icon Oksana Masters took home her first medal of the 2024 Paris Games on Wednesday, winning gold in the women’s cycling H4-5 time trial. 

The 35-year-old American athlete earned her spot on the podium after speeding to victory in the second half of the race along the roads of Clichy-sous-Bois in the suburbs of France’s capital city, the Olympics announced. Masters was 30 seconds behind at the trial’s midway point when she gained the lead, crossing the finish line with a time of 23:45.20, according to officials at the games. 

Behind Masters in Wednesday’s race was Chantal Haenen, of the Netherlands, who won the silver medal with a finishing time of 23:51:44. Sun Bianbian of China took bronze with a time of 25:13:07.

Masters will continue her journey in Paris on Thursday, as the defending champion in the H5 para cycling race, before moving on to the H1-5 mixed team relay on Saturday. 

This latest triumph marked Masters’ eighth Paralympic gold medal and her 18th medal overall. It was also her third gold for para cycling, one of three sports in which she has competed since starting her Paralympic career at the games in London in 2012. She has also competed in para rowing and para skiing, winning two gold medals for Team USA’s Para Nordic team at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018, and another gold as well as three silver medals at the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022.

Masters has become a Paralympic legend since her career took off more than a decade ago. Born with multiple limb disabilities believed to be linked to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, she was adopted by an American family and raised in Louisville, according to Team USA. Both of Masters’ legs were later amputated.