First Medals of Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics Go to Ukraine in Sweep of Both Men’s and Women’s Sprint Distance Orienteering

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:33 JST, November 15, 2025

Two Ukrainian athletes on Saturday earned the gold medals in orienteering, the first event held in the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics.

Nazar Levytskyi won the men’s sprint distance orienteering event on Saturday, while his compatriot Anna Vanasaun won the women’s event.

The two events took place mainly at Hibiya Park in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward.

In orienteering — a sport not included in the Olympics or the Paralympics — athletes use a map and compass to pass through control points in a designated order, vying for how fast they reach the finish line.

On Saturday morning, athletes started one after another in front of a commercial facility near the park and were welcomed near the finish line set up inside the park by spectators using sign language to express applause.

Athletes from Ukraine, a powerhouse of orienteering, swept the gold, silver and bronze medals in both the men’s and women’s events.

Japan fielded three athletes each in the men’s and women’s events. Taro Kojima, 42, achieved the best result among them, finishing 10th in the men’s event.

“I was so happy to see my friends and teammates cheering me on that I cried after crossing the finish line,” said Kojima.