US win first medals of Winter Paralympics as Oksana Masters leads American one-two

"It's incredible to have one and two for the USA, she said. Not just one and two USA, but with your friend who is also a great competitor. She pushes me on the range and we push each other on the course."

"The gold came after a difficult buildup to the Games for Masters, who said she dealt with surgery during the summer and health setbacks in recent weeks, including an infection and a concussion that limited her training."

"According to NBC research, Masters becomes the sixth American to win 20 or more medals at the Winter and Summer Paralympics, joining Trischa Zorn (55), Jessica Long (31), Tatyana McFadden (22), Sharon Myers (21) and Bart Dodson (20)."

Oksana Masters led a dominant United States performance in the women's 7.5km sitting sprint biathlon at Val di Fiemme, winning gold with a time of 21:21.3, finishing 16 seconds ahead of teammate Kendall Gretsch who earned silver. Both Americans achieved perfect shooting scores of 10-for-10, making the race decided on skiing performance where Masters pulled away on the final lap. Germany's Anja Wicker took bronze. This victory marked Masters' 10th Paralympic gold medal and 20th Paralympic medal overall, making her the most decorated winter athlete in US Paralympic history. Masters overcame significant health challenges during her preparation, including summer surgery, infection, and concussion. She emphasized the special significance of sharing the podium with her friend and competitor Gretsch.

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