World Games for the Deaf : U.S. Equals the Total-Medal Record--109--That It Set in 1981

The United States equaled the record for medals won in the 15th World Games for the Deaf when the American water polo team defeated West Germany, 11-4, Saturday to pick up a bronze medal.

The bronze on the last day of competition gave the U.S. team its 109th medal of the Games, which equalled the mark the U.S. team set in 1981 at Cologne, West Germany.

West Germany finished second with 41, Great Britain was third with 26, and France fourth with 24.

The U.S. team also gained a record-breaking 46 gold medals, eclipsing the previous mark of 45, also set by the U.S. team in 1981.

The U.S. track and field team came away with a record 20 gold medals, with Charles Smith of Las Vegas taking four golds--in the men’s 100 meter, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay and long jump.

Two U.S. athletes each won three gold medals each in track and field. Sprinter Sherrie Jackson of Greenville, Miss., winning the 100 and 200 and 4x100 relay. Connie Johnston of Ogden, Utah, won the heptathlon, 4x400 relay and the high jump.

Swimmer Stuart Wilson of Atlanta led the U.S. swim team to a record 17 gold medals, his nine individual gold medals fell one short of Olympian Jeff Float’s record 10 gold medals, set at the 1977 Games at Bucharest, Romania.

Melissa Files of Citrus Heights, Calif., led the U.S. women’s swim team with four gold medals. She won golds in the 100-and 200-meter backstroke, the 4x100 freestyle and medley relays.

The United States’ dominance in basketball continued with both the men’s and women’s teams capturing gold medals. The men’s team has never lost a game in World Games history. It won five games this year, and defeated Sweden, 102-66, in the title game.

The U.S. women’s team took the gold with a 117-21 victory over Venezuela.

In tennis, the United States picked up nine medals. Brad Minns of Sylvania, Ohio, took the gold in men’s singles and mixed doubles, teaming with Debra Evans of Johnson City, Tenn.

Jeff Osborne of Citrus Heights, and Jeff Wasserman of St. Louis took the gold in the men’s doubles competition.

After three successive silver medal finishes, the U.S. women’s volleyball team took its first gold ever by sweeping the round-robin competition. It defeated Sweden three games to none in the championship match.