With the victory, Masters secured her twentieth Paralympic medal, joining an exclusive club of U.S. athletes to have ever met or eclipsed that mark. She is just the sixth athlete to reach the milestone, with a long list of competitive events still to come in Italy.
“For me, I have a very strong ‘why’, where every single stroke for me counts. 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,” Masters said. “That helps me overcome those adversities.”
She was joined on the podium by Kendall Gretsch, who put together a flawless performance on the shooting range to keep the race tight. Coming into her fifth Paralympic Games, Gretsch is now an eight-time medalist, including four gold medals and three silvers.
“I’m really excited and I’m just happy to get the first race under my belt. It’s been so long since we’ve raced this season, so you just never know where you’re at,” Gretsch said after the race. “It’s a really good start. Hopefully I can keep building from here and maintain this. I’m really excited for the rest of the races.”
After all, if there could be anything better than standing on the podium, then standing next to your teammate after finishing nearly a minute ahead of the rest of the field might just be it.
Both Masters and Gretsch will return to the snow on Sunday for the women’s 12.5km (sitting) competition.
