American cross country skier Oksana Masters finally got her Paralympic gold on Wednesday, winning the 1.1 kilometer cross country sprint in the sitting category.

"This is the most amazing medal of my career," said Masters, who had both legs amputated as a child after being born with radiation-induced birth defects.

"I am so happy I have been able to channel the things I went through when I was younger and make them into something positive."

The 28-year-old won a silver in biathlon and a bronze in cross country at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi and had also collected a bronze in rowing at the 2012 Summer Games in London.

The United States, who sent the biggest delegation to the with 69 athletes, is currently leading the overall medal table with six gold medals, and eleven medals in total.

Chernobyl victim

Masters was born in 1989 in modern-day Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, three years after a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded and killed 31 people in the world's worst nuclear disaster. She had several birth defects, including six toes on each foot, webbed fingers on each hand, and her left leg six inches (15 centimeters) shorter than her right.

Her family gave up on her and she lived in three different orphanages until she was adopted at age seven by an American woman. She had her left leg amputated at age eight and her right leg at age 13.

She began rowing in 2002 as a teenager and has competed at the last four Summer and Winter Paralympic Games in rowing, cross country skiing, biathlon and para-cycling.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Andrea Eskau (Germany) The multi-talented 36-year-old is a hand-cyclist in summer and biathlete and cross-country skier in winter. In her previous five appearances at the summer and winter paralympics, Eskau has won six gold medals. At her sixth appearance in Pyeongchang, she will carry the flag for the German team.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Mike Schultz (USA) The 36-year-old snowboarder is a professional cotocross racer and X-Games veteran. He lost his left leg in an accident during a snowcross race in 2008 when he was thrown from his snowmobile. Schultz is the founder of BioDapt Inc, a company which specializes in the production of synthetic limbs for snowboarders. Schultz has the honor of carrying the flag for Team USA at the opening ceremony.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Anna Schaffelhuber (Germany) After winning five gold medals in Sochi in 2014, the 25-year-old mono-skier is under huge pressure to deliver again in Pyeongchang. Despite her tender age, Schaffelhuber has already been crowned world champion nine times and was named para-athlete of the year in 2016. This will be her third paralympic games.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Claudia Lösch (Austria) Lösch made her winter paralympics debut in Vancouver in 2010 and is Anna Schaffelhuber's biggest rival on the piste. As well as competing in all alpine disciplines, Lösch will also carry the flag for the Austrian team at the opening ceremony.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Mikhalina Lysova (Russia) After a last-minute ruling by the IPC, Lysova will be allowed to compete at the Paralympics after all following allegations of doping. Not everyone is impressed but the Russian is now looking forward to her third winter games, where she will compete in biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Marie Bochet (France) The 24-year-old from France is the favorite in the standing alpine skiing competition. Bochet has been skiing since the age of five and often took part in races with able-bodied athletes. She won the Laureus World Sports Award for Women's Para-Athlete of the Year in 2014 and doesn't consider the defect in her lower left arm to be a handicap.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Brian McKeever (Canada) In four previous appearances at the Winter Paralympics, the 38-year-old cross-country skier and biathlete has already won 13 medals - including ten golds. McKeever only has ten per cent vision and made his paralympic debut in Salt Lake City in 2002. How many medals can he add to his tally in Pyeongchang?

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Alexander Ehler (Germany) At 48 years old, Ehler is the oldest member of the German team. Initially hailed as a sporting talent in his home country of Kazakhstan, his career looked to have been ended after a motorcycle accident. But, following an operation which shortened his left leg by nine centimeters, Ehler is now fulfilling his dream of competing in the Olympics, despite only having been a para-athlete for a year.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Jung Seung-hwan (South Korea) Known at "Messi on ice," Jung Seung-hwan is the star of the South Korean ice hockey team and the official ambassador for the Pyeongchang Paralympics. The 31-year-old is taking part in his third Paralympic Games.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Jesper Saltvik Pedersen (Norway) Norway topped the medals table at the Olympic Games last month and 19-year-old Pedersen is among the favorites to add another gold for his country at the Paralympics. The alpine skier is also a keen wheelchair handball and football player.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Nico Messinger (Germany) A car dealer back home, Nico Messinger is competing in his first Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang. The 23-year-old has limited vision and skis behind a guide in biathlon who gives him instructions. When shooting, he wears headphones and gets his bearings using audio signals.

Meet the stars of the Winter Paralympics 2018 Joany Badenhorst (Australia) 23-year-old Joany Badenhorst is Australia's first ever female flag-bearer at the Winter Paralympics. Four years ago in Sochi, she suffered an injury during training on day one of the Games and was forced to miss the tournament. Hopefully, she'll be able to make her debut this time around!



ftm/dv (AFP, SID)