Whats renowned Paralympian Oksana Masters doing on a Philadelphia mural?
Oksana Masters has emerged from the ashes of the catastrophic Chernobyl nuclear accident to become one of the most inspirational athletes on the planet. Her story is remarkable, but her focus is on the young girls of today. She is part of a mural at 5729 Germantown Ave., along with four fellow female U.S. Olympic athletes. It is on the side of a shuttered crab restaurant at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Price Street, not far from Germantown High School, which also is closed. Theres nothing more powerful, Masters asserts, than a determined woman. Its a message she hopes the mural conveys, especially to the youth of that neighborhood. A role model is something I didnt have as a little girl who looked different with a disability, Masters said. But then, when I chose to be an athlete, I never was able to see myself as an athlete because I didnt get to see someone that looked like me. So I couldnt believe that it was possible for me.  Ashleigh Johnson (volleyball), Alex Morgan (soccer), Chiney Ogwumike (basketball), and Chelsea Wolf (BMX) join Masters on the mural, which is sponsored by Secret brand deodorant and also appears on buildings in Atlanta and New York. Masters has won eight Olympic medals, but her first was as a rower in the 2012 Paralympics in London. As such, Philadelphia holds a special place for her because of the time she spent training and competing here. The Ukrainian native even knows the correct pronunciation of Schuylkill. She trained and raced along Boathouse Row at the Bayada Regatta from 2006-10. Its amazing, especially driving at night and having all the houses lit up, Masters said from her home in Champagne, Ill., about Boathouse Row. Its so cool, and I think unless youre a rower, you dont really dont appreciate it for being as amazing as it is. And the history of the iconic boathouses that are there. I love it.  Masters is looking to add to her trophy cabinet next month as part of the U.S. cycling team. It would give her medals in four different sports in five Paralympics. She was fourth in hand cycling at the most recent summer games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.  READ MORE: From the archives: Local Ukrainians recall the Chernobyl disaster  Masters, 32, was born in Khmelnitsky, Ukraine, three years after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident that killed 30 and maimed countless more. Because the region was saturated with radiation poisoning, she was born with six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, and one leg shorter than the other. She spent her first seven-plus years in Ukrainian orphanages until she was adopted by Gay Masters. I didnt save her, Masters adoptive mother told the Louisville Courier-Journal last year. She would have saved herself. That kid is a survivor.  Masters left leg was amputated below the knee when she was 9. The right leg was taken at age 14. What its all about  Masters has two gold medals, a silver, and two bronze in various cross-country skiing events. She has two silvers in biathlon, and that bronze from 2012 in rowing. In 2020, she was named Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability at the Laureus Sports Awards in Berlin, Germany. But her favorite accomplishment cannot be found in a record book. OK, so one of my proudest moments, and I feel like this is what it all really boils down to, is the moment I started wearing my prosthetic legs and making them visible to the world and not hiding them, she said. There was a family member who shared my picture and my story to a little girl who had one prosthetic leg, and she was in fifth or sixth grade. She would always hide her legs. [However], her parents wrote to me that, after seeing me and my legs, she decided to go into school one day wearing a dress and showed her leg. And that is, she paused, collecting her thoughts, that is what its all about.  Sports was this healthy outlet for me, of discovering myself, embracing myself and seeing how Im powerful regardless of the fact I dont have legs. Oksana Masters  Masters points to a Womens Sports Foundation study that found girls are dropping out of competitive sports at twice the rate of boys. Keeping girls involved might not necessarily lead to an Olympic medals podium, but it often leads to improved self-esteem and confidence. Secret deodorant has launched the Watch Me campaign to help with resources and other support to keep girls involved. To me, its inspiring that little girl to be able to look in the mirror and see power within herself and not being defined or letting people define how she looks, or because shes a girl, or because she looks different, or because shes a girl with a prosthetic leg that wants to be on the softball team, Masters said. That she can do it all and be confident in her skin and be able to just chase her dreams regardless of it. And to know that is making her irreplaceable in this world.