CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (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.
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.
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 mother. 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.”
AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
This story has been corrected to show that Masters was adopted by an American mother.
Oksana Masters of the USA competes in the Para Biathlon Women's sprint sitting at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Tesero, Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Oksana Masters of the USA competes in the Para Biathlon Women's sprint sitting at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Tesero, Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
