HERAKLION, CRETE — The USA Men's and Women's Deaf Basketball teams capped a thrilling run with back-to-back double golds at the 2023 World Deaf Basketball Championships, held on the Mediterranean island of Crete.
In the men's tournament, the men's team overcame an early loss in pool play to Israel to emerge victorious, defeating Ukraine and Lithuania in the semifinals and the final, respectively, to claim yet another World Championship gold.
On the women's side, the stars and stripes overcame a tightly-contested 73-71 loss to Ukraine in pool play to win the Gold by a lopsided 88-62 score against the Ukrainians. With the first-place finish, the Americans also qualified for the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Noah Valencia and Hannah Nield were named as tournament Most Valuable Players.
Both the U.S. Men's and Women's teams are currently ranked No. 1 in the world.