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USA’s 17 year wait for Beach Gold ends as Bommarito becomes first-ever American winner

September 08, 2023
Romania 2023
The second day of the Beach Wrestling World Series in Constanta will go down in history as the day the USA finally secured their first gold medal in senior Beach Wrestling, as Eliana BOMMARTIO took 1st place in the Women’s +70kg division, ending America’s wait since they started entering competitions in 2007.

The stage was set with the beautiful Neversea Beach providing the platform for the sand superstars to take a step closer to overall Beach Wrestling World Series gold in this penultimate event of the season.

There was a shock in the Women’s 50kg division when Emine CATALOGLU (TUR), who had been hotly tipped to take home the gold, lost to a great throw and pin by Ukrainian Doroshenko with just over a minute on the clock. The stunned Turkish tornado challenged the call to keep her gold medal match dreams alive but lost the challenge, and Doroshenko faced up against Ana Maria PIRVU (ROU) in the final.

With a strong home crowd behind her, it was Pirvu who would take home the gold with a fine 3-0 win in just over two minutes, much to the delight of her teammates and the Constanta crowd. Cataloglu bounced back from her defeat to take bronze as she defeated Nicoleta Cristina BAJAN in the 3 / 4 match.

Andrea GRASRUCK (GER) was competing in her first-ever Women’s 60kg division event at the Series, and she was within 2 seconds of making it to the final, only for Turkey’s Merve KARADENIZ to grab an equalising point. Grasruck challenged but lost the challenge and the tie, as Karadeniz advanced to the final to face Anastasiya KRAVCHENKO (UKR), who had got the better of her teammate Daria MEDVETSKA in the semi.

Kravchenko has been in stunning form this season, and once again, she showed why she is the one to beat in this division with a commanding performance in the final, where she was crowned queen of the sand with a 3-0 win in just 1 minute 45 seconds.

© RAED KRISHAN - Emine Cataloglu (L) of Turkey competes against Claudia Cabrera of Argentina (50kg women) during the second day of the 4th stop of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Sofia Kushnir (R) of Ukraine competes against Josephine Hammerle of France (60kg women) during the second day of the 4th stop of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Liudmyla Tchykyna (R) of Ukraine competes against Eliana Bommarito (+70kg women) during the second day of the 4th stop of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Olena Nikitinska (yellow) of Ucraina competes against Paula Rotaru during the final 1-2 (70kg women) on the second day of the 4th stop of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.

There was another shock in the Women’s 70kg division as reigning champion and home sand star Adina IRIMIA lost in the semi-final to compatriot Paula Aurelia Izabela ROTARU, who would go on to face Ukrainian Olena NIKITINSKA in the gold medal match.

Rotaru will be delighted with her showing in her home country as she then went on to take the gold, beating Nikitinska in just under a minute and a half. Irimia would make do with bronze, with a win over Viorica Tania ADAM in the 3-4 match.

There were scenes of jubilation from the large contingent of Americans at sand side as the Women’s +70kg Final came to an end with Eliana Bommarito’s gold finally ending their over-a-decade-long wait for a gold, as she beat reigning champion Catalina AXENTE in the final. Axente had picked up an injury in her semi-final win over Liudmyla PAVLOVETS TYCHYNA (UKR), during which she had to stop for treatment, but she had no answer to the sheer power of Bommarito. Pavlovets Tychyna would take the bronze for Ukraine.

© RAED KRISHAN - Oleksii Boruta (L) of Ukraine competes against Justn Benjamin of USA (70kg men) during the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Ibrahim Yusubov (L) of Azerbaijan competes against Terrence Zaleski (90kg men) during the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Ibrahim Yusubov (white) of Azerbaijan competes against Oleksii Yakovchuk of Ucraine during the final 1-2 (90kg men) on the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Oyan Nazariani (white) of Azerbaijan competes against Fatih Yasarli of Turkey during the final 1-2 (+90kg men) on the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.

Oleksii BORUTA (UKR) suffered a shock opening round defeat yesterday and had to win his third group match in the morning session to make it through to the elimination rounds, but that will all be forgotten about as he looks at the gold medal he’s taking home with him after defeating Azerbaijan’s Ramiz HASANOV to the gold in the Men’s 70kg division. There was also a first-ever Beach Wrestling World Series medal for Germany in their maiden event, as Valentin SEIMETZ beat Moldovan Pavel GRAUR in the 3-4 matchup to take the bronze.

Moldova didn’t have long to wait for a medal of their own though, as Traian CAPATINA secured Moldovan gold with a great win over Romanian Denis CHIRICA in just over a minute in the Men’s 80kg division. Bulgaria’s Nikolay Iliev DIMITROV took the bronze, as American Tyler Loethen was unable to continue through injury.

Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE) shows no signs of relinquishing his Men’s 90kg World Series title anytime soon, and the amazing Azerbaijani was at his imperious best today as he took 40 seconds to win his semi-final and then 20 seconds to wrap up the gold as he beat Ukrainian Oleksii YAKOVCHUK  in the final. Tyson BEAUPERTHUY would pick up USA’s second medal of the leg as he beat Turkey’s Mahmut OZKAYA in the 3-4 match.

The Men’s +90kg had been dominated by Fatih YASARLI (TUR) and Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO) this season, with both men being the only gold winners so far, but the Big Gun Oyan NAZARIANI (AZE) is showing that his injury worries are behind him as he came within millimetres of taking the gold against Yasarli in the final here on Neversea Beach. With Nazariani leading 2-1 and 2 seconds on the clock, both men went down, and it was Yasarli who had just about landed second. This took the score to 2-2, but Nazariani challenged the call, only to lose out and forfeited the final point, as a result giving Yasarli another well fought-for gold.  Kordzaia would take the bronze as he edged out Andrii VLASOV (UKR) in the 3-4 matchup.

A phenomenal day of Beach Wrestling at its finest was capped off when Oleksii Boruta and Germany’s Laura SCHMITT took home the top technique awards.

As always, Constanta has delivered, and with the final stop coming to Turkey next month, all is set to coronate the Season’s Kings and Queens in magical Mugla on October 14 to 15. 

© RAED KRISHAN - Eliana Bommarito OF usa is declared winner of the final (+70kg women) on the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Traian Capatina of Moldova is declared winner of the final (80kg men) on the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.
© RAED KRISHAN - Fatih Yasarli of Turkey is declared winner of the final (+90kg men) on the second day of the stop 4 of the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series at Constanta, Romania on September 08, 2023.

Results Beach Wrestling World Series Constanta 
WOMEN
50kg
1. Ana Maria PIRVU (ROU)
2. Iryna DOROSHENKO (UKR)
3. Emine CATALOGLU( (TUR)

60kg
1. Anastasiya KRAVCHENKO (UKR)
2. Merve KARADENIZ (TUR)
3. Daria MEDVETSKA (UKR)

70kg
1. Paula Aurelia Izabela ROTARU (ROU)
2. Olena NIKITINSKA (UKR)
3. Adina Ionela IRIMIA (UKR)

+70kg
1. Eliana Rose BOMMARITO (USA)
2. Catalina AXENTE (ROU)
3. Liudmyla PAVLOVETS TYCHYNA (UKR)

MEN
70kg
1. Oleksii BORUTA (UKR)
2. Ramiz HASANOV (AZE)
3. Valentin SEIMETZ (GER)
 

80kg
1. Traian CAPATINA (MDA)
2. Denis Ioan CHIRICA (ROU)
3. Nikolay Iliev DIMITROV (BUL)

90kg
1. Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE)
2. Oleksii YAKOVCHUK (UKR)
3. Tyson Daniel BEAUPERTHUY (USA)

+90kg
1. Fatih YASARLI  (TUR)
2. Oyan NAZARIANI  (AZE)
3. Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO)

Top Technique
Laura SCHMITT (GER)
Oleskii BORUTA (UKR)

Find the complete results here

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