Double Golds, Historic Moments, and Hard Fights Across Tokyo on Golden Monday

TOKYO - The Japan Cycle Sports Center was the site of the U.S. Team’s first overall Gold, as 21 year old Jayson Wallace sprinted to one of the biggest highlights of the day. Wallace powered through the Men’s Sprint field to win Gold, becoming the first American medalist of the Tokyo Deaflympics. His breakout performance signals a bright future for U.S. Deaf Cycling. Teammate Blake Herbold also rode well, finishing 6th in a competitive field.

In the Women’s Sprint, sisters Brittany and Courtney Skjeveland placed 12th and 15th. Though not medal finishes, their shared journey as siblings competing side by side remains a special storyline for the squad.

Inside the Tokyo Budokan, judoka Nina Cutro-Kelly reclaimed her top spot in women’s judo. Cutro-Kelly secured gold in the women’s +78 kg division with an ippon over Ukraine. This marks back to back Deaflympic judo titles for the American veteran, who once again proved her dominance.

For the men, all three athletes made their Deaflympic debuts. Garrett Scott (-81 kg), Ryoshi Nakama (-100 kg), and Hiroshi Nakama (+100 kg) each stepped onto the world stage with determination. Scott battled through a tight match and ultimately fell by a single point to his opponent from Turkiye. Ryoshi and Hiroshi both were defeated by ippon by their Iran and Ukraine opponents.

At Ota City General Gymnasium, the U.S. Men’s Basketball wasted no time in overpowering Canada 117 to 45 in a commanding performance from start to finish. The Americans exploded to a 31 to 4 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

In a special moment, rookie Keanu Boren scored the first points of his Deaflympics career, finishing with five in his debut. With efficient shooting, tight defense, and relentless pace, the U.S. opened their tournament with confidence and clarity.

It was a strong day for the red white and blue at Ariake Tennis Park. In Women’s Doubles, Emily Hangstefer and Chelsie Brown powered past France with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win.

The momentum continued in Mixed Doubles, where Emily and Daniel Hangstefer, the brother and sister duo, handled France 6 to 3, 6 to 3. The pair looks poised for a deep run in the Deaflympics.

In the other mixed pairing, Chelsie Brown and Alfredo Galvez started strong but fell to Japan in a three set battle 6 to 3, 2 to 6, 1 to 6.

In Women’s Beach Volleyball, Kaylie Wotton and Calista Beck pushed Lithuania to three sets in a competitive duel but ultimately fell 19 to 21, 21 to 17, 11 to 15. On the men’s side, Mike Haggerty and Derek Bashford struggled to find rhythm against Ukraine, falling 18-21, 9-21.

In other matchups, Robin Alummoottil and Artem Novoselov dropped their match to Ukraine, 6-21, 11-21, while Kelsey Brandin and Cassandra Richter earned a bright spot for the U.S., defeating Hungary 21-15, 21-17 for a clean 2-0 victory.

For more results, you can find them on our results page available at our website at usdeafsports.org/results. We will continue providing daily coverage as the Games unfold across Tokyo. Follow every highlight, medal moment, and athlete story at usdeafsports.org.