Professional golfer and hearing loss advocate Kaylin Yost has won an individual gold medal in Women’s Golf for Team USA at the 2017 Deaflympics Summer Games in Samsun, Turkey. The 25-year old Florida resident and Phonak Ambassador competed against deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes from around the world in an intense five rounds of golf over six days. Yost’s historic medal marks the first gold medal ever given out for golf since the Deaflympics officially added the sport to its list of games this summer.
Winning gold wasn’t Yost’s only objective at the Summer Games. A life-long hearing aid wearer and active role model for children with hearing loss, she proudly showcases a custom-made “Leo the Lion” golf head cover when she competes to raise awareness of pediatric hearing loss and to inspire children who wear hearing aids to never give up on their dreams. Leo the Lion is the pediatrics mascot created by Phonak in 2014 to help children feel more comfortable with their hearing loss. On Wednesday, Yost wrote to her fans on Twitter, stating “Leo the Lion helped me win the gold!”
“We could not be more proud of Kaylin and her tremendous success at the Summer Deaflympics,” said Jan Metzdorff, President of Phonak U.S. “The way she represented her country as the only U.S. women’s golfer and the manner in which she continues to advocate for children with hearing loss both on and off the course is nothing short of remarkable.”
