2022 Winter Paralympics: Meet the 15 women representing Team USA

The Paralympics – and especially the Winter Paralympics – still are very uneven in terms of gender balance. Of the 67 athletes set to represent Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, just 15 (23%) are women.

But while they may still be few in number, the women of Team USA are a formidable crew. Here’s a look at the 15 women who will represent the U.S. at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Oksana Masters opened the 2022 Winter Paralympics with a biathlon gold medal in the women’s spring event (sitting classification). It marks the 11th medal of Masters’ career.

Masters, who was born in Ukraine, said she takes pride in representing both the U.S. and Ukraine in Beijing.

“It’s the stars and stripes that keeps my Ukrainian heart beating. I’ve always been proud of where I come from,” she wrote on Instagram.

Masters is one of four members of Team USA (including three women) who are competing at two Paralympic Games in just six months. In September, Masters won two cycling gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Masters is expected to compete in all six individual Nordic events (three in cross-country skiing, three in biathlon) at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Illinois native Kendall Gretsch made her Paralympic debut four years ago in PyeongChang, where she became the first American athlete to win biathlon gold at either the Paralympics or Olympics.

She continued her winning ways at the Tokyo Paralympics – where her triathlon classification (PTWC2) was contested for the first time – and won gold in a thrilling, sprint-from-behind finish.

She opened up the Beijing Winter Games with a bronze medal in the biathlon sprint event on day one. Gretsch, who competes in the sitting classification, is expected to compete in all six individual