A Big Day on the Greens, In the Pool, and On the Pitch

Swimming’s Debut Makes a Splash with Records and Medals

The Tokyo Aquatic Center came alive today as swimming officially kicked off. The U.S. wasted no time lighting up the pool. Carli Cronk began the party in the morning in her heat by breaking the Deaflympics record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 1:01.35. 

As the sun set over Tokyo, Carli struck again, breaking the 400m freestyle World Record with a blazing 59.13, breaking the 1-minute barrier. This marks the 13th Deaflympics Gold medal in Cronk’s career (She won 12 Golds in the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil) Matthew Klotz joined the party with a Gold in the 100m meter backstroke and a strong third place finish in the 50m butterfly. Brooke Thompson added to the medal surge by claiming bronze in the 100m butterfly, showcasing the depth of the U.S. women’s side. To cap off a high energy evening, the U.S. men swam to a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay, electrifying the crowd with a tight finish. For Team USA, and the rest of the world, the message was clear. America’s swimmers are here to slay.

Kevin Hall Secures Silver Among Other Professional Golfers

The Wakasu Golf Course, approximately 15 miles away from Tokyo, had a world class showdown today, led by a trio of professional golfers who made it clear why they were pros. Germany’s Allen John set the pace early and never let go, finishing at an impressive eleven under par to claim Gold. Right behind him was Cincinnati native and PGA professional Kevin Hall, who took silver at two under par. Germany rounded out the podium with Nico Guldan at one under. For the United States, James McGowin Miller, scored a solid four over to secure fourth. 

For Hall, he came into the Deaflympics with high expectations of his performance and its safe to say he delivered. The U.S. Men and Women’s Golf will continue tomorrow and beyond for Mixed Doubles.

U.S. Men’s National Team Stuns Brazil with a Late Winner

Just over three hours away from Tokyo, the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team had their most dramatic finish of the tournament in the Games thus far. It was do or die today, and they faced Brazil, a perennial contender and PanAm Games rival. The Americans struck late and sealed a thrilling 2 to 1 upset victory. The decisive moment came in the 87th minute, when the U.S. broke through with the finish that sent the bench and U.S. fans up off their feet in celebration. When the whistle blew, history was made. For the first time ever, the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team advanced to the semifinals of the Deaflympics. A program built on years of quiet grind and steady growth now finds itself on their biggest stage yet. They will take on Japan on November 22nd at noon.

For more of the day’s event results, visit our results webpage.

As always, you can follow the U.S. Teams’ schedules, results, as well as follow every highlight, moment, and every story as the Games continue across Tokyo at our website: usdeafsports.org.