Japan captures Deaflympics gold in women’s volleyball
The Japanese women’s volleyball team beat Italy 3-0 in the final of the 23rd Summer Deaflympics, an international competition for the hearing-impaired, in Samsun, Turkey, on Friday. The gold medal was the team’s first in 16 years.
The Japanese team, the silver medalist in the previous Deaflympics, powered to victory on the back of its overwhelming superiority.
Japan took the initiative with its precise receiving throughout the match with Italy, which had previously defeated the pre-tournament favorite United States.
Overall, the Japanese team won all seven of its matches in straight sets.
“We could win by keeping our mind strong throughout the Deaflympics,” 26-year-old captain Saki Ugaya said through tears of joy.
For Ugaya, the victory was vindication after a heartbreaking loss in the final of the previous Deaflympics. “I’m so excited that we could win all of our games in straight sets,” she said.
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