Ukrainian born-athlete Oksana Masters admitted to feeling "selfish, helpless, and guilty," after winning gold and silver in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing.
Masters, 32, was adopted by an American woman at the age of seven, and now represents the USA at international events.
The biathlon and cross-country competitor, who has also competed in cycling and sculling in the Summer Paralympics, has been one of the early stars of the Games in China.
She won her 6km biathlon event, her fifth Paralympic gold, and was second in the 15km cross-country race.
However, in a message posted on her Instagram account, Masters admitted she was struggling to embrace the Games amid the Russian invasion of her birth land.
"It has been difficult to find my passion and desire to compete at these Games amid the war my home country of Ukraine is enduring," she wrote.
"I feel selfish, helpless, and guilty for being here. However, I have always been so proud to be Ukrainian, felt so much pride at the sight of the Ukrainian flag, and now more than ever, I am the proudest to say I am Ukrainian.
"My mom always said my Ukrainian heart made me resilient; it made me a fighter."
And she also voiced her support for the No Child Forgotten charity, supporting children living with physical disabilities in Ukraine, and pledged to dedicate her displays to those affected.
"I will be racing for more than just my own goals, more than a spot on the podium," she added.
"Every pole stroke, I will be racing for the families and kids in Ukraine with disabilities. While the Ukrainian people are fighting for their homes and peace, I want to make every start line and finish line mean something much bigger than a race or a result.
"I want to help make sure no child is forgotten. I know how it felt to be a child in Ukraine with disabilities where the resource for medical help was slim to non-existent - more now in the midst of a war."
Oksana was born with several radiation-induced birth defects following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster three years earlier.
She was abandoned by her birth parents at an orphanage where she lived until she was seven, but has since become a super multi-sport athlete.
