Beach wrestling

Georgia Shines in ‘Beach Wrestling World Series’; Qatar and 2020 Season on the Horizon

By United World Wrestling Press

VEVEY, Switzerland (October 11) -- The 2019 Beach Wrestling World Series concluded last month in Zagreb with several of the world’s top beach grapplers wrestling for gold and securing top billing in the overall rankings.

Led by enigmatic Olympic bronze medalist Dato MARSAGISHVILI (90kg), Georgia captured a whopping three out of a possible four top place finishes in men’s beach wrestling.

Marsagishvili, Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (70kg), and Davit KHUTSISHVILI (80kg) earned the top ranking in their respective weight categories by winning each event they entered. Each of the three wrestlers claimed three gold medals in three attempts and scored 50,000 points.

Oyan NAZARIANI (AZE) finished No.1 at +90kg. The heavyweight wrestler competed in all four events, winning three gold medals and one silver to finish with 58,000 points.

Despite a runner-up finish in the rankings Semen RADULOV (UKR) wow'ed fans across the world with his big throws (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Two Ukrainian women, Kateryna MASHKEVYCH (50kg) and Anna MAZURKEVYCH (70kg), finished No. 1 in their respective weight categories. Both Mashkevych and Mazurkevych earned a pair of gold medals, competing in Odessa and Zagreb and finished with 40,000 points.

Camila FAMA TRISTAO (BRA) earned the No.1 ranking in the women's competition at 60kg after winning two gold medals and a silver medal in the World Series. Her golds came in Rio and Zagreb.

Aikaterini PITSIAVA (GRE) won three golds in three attempts and finished No.1 at +70kg.

Many of the top finishers, including Georgia’s World Series champions, will be in Doha October 15-16 to compete at the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games.

The 2020 Beach Wrestling World Series will again consist of four stops, with dates and locations to be announced in the coming weeks. At a meeting last month in Nur-Sultan more than 30 national federations from across all continents attended an informational session to help answer questions about the growing style.

National federations or wrestlers interested in learning more details about the 2020 events are asked to reach out to sports@unitedworldwrestling.org.

2019 Beach Wresting World Series Results

Men

70kg

1. Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO) 50,000

2. Semen RADULOV (UKR) 42,000

3. Michael PETERS (USA) 19,500

4. Miljan DUKANOVIC (SRB) 17,400

5. Luka MALOBABIC (CRO) 15,000

 

80kg

1. Davit KHUTSISHVILI (GEO) 50,000

2. Georgios KOULOUCHIDIS (GRE) 42,800

3. Aleksandar NIKOLIC (SRB) 19,500

4. Timotej TRBULIN (SLO) 17,400

5. Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE) 16,000

 

90kg

1. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) 50,000

2. Christos SAMARTSIDIS (GRE) 34,500

3. Strahinja DERMANOVIC (SRB) 19,500

4. Domenik ANDREIC (CRO) 17,400

5. Murat OZKAN (TUR) 13,000

 

+90kg

1. Oyan NAZARIANI (AZE) 58,000

2. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE) 44,300

3. Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO) 35,300

4. Sabolc HORVAT (SRB) 17,400

5. Dorde PESUT (SRB) 15,000

 

Women

 

50kg

1. Kateryna MASHKEVYCH (UKR) 40,000

2. Carmen GOMES TEIXEIRA VIEIRA (POR) 31,000

3. Kristal BETANZO (USA) 24,000

4. Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA) 18,000

5. Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU) 10,000

 

60kg

1. Camila FAMA TRISTAO (BRA) 48,000

2. Valeriia SEMONKINA ZLATOVA (UKR) 34,000

3. Isabel RODRIGUES (POR) 31,100

4. Pia KOCBEK (SLO) 17,400

5. Georgiana FILIP (ROU) 10,000

 

70kg

1. Anna MAZURKEVYCH (UKR) 40,000

2. Sonia PEREIRA BRAZIO (POR) 34,000

3. Diana BETANZO (USA) 24,000

4. Sara TRBULIN (SLO) 17,400

5. Adina Elena POPESCU (ROU) 10,000

 

+70kg

1. Aikaterini PITSIAVA (GRE) 50,000

2. Iryna PASICHNYK (UKR) 24,000

3. Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA) 10,000

4. Halyna KOVALSKA (UKR) 8,000

5. Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR) 8,000

Development

2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial concludes in Guatemala City

By United World Wrestling Press

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (June 2) -- The 2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament (REDT) successfully concluded once again in Guatemala City, continuing the tradition of excellence in wrestling development across the Americas.

From May 26 to June 1, athletes, coaches, referees, and officials gathered at the Center for High-Performance and Development of America (CARDA) and the Erick Barrondo Sports Complex for a week of intensive educational activities and training camps. The event offered a unique platform where participants could simultaneously improve their technical, pedagogical, and competitive skills.

The coaches’ course was conducted under the leadership of Iranian expert Professor Reza AZIMI, assisted by Ardeshir ASGARI (NCA), who also supported with translation. A total of 22 coaches from 11 countries took part in these sessions, which combined theoretical classes with practical on-mat application, allowing for immediate implementation of newly acquired knowledge.

In parallel, the referees’ course was led by Guatemalan international referee Hugo FIGUEROA, with the participation and support of UWW Referee Commission Member Rafael GALVA LEBRON (Puerto Rico). A total of 13 referees from 9 countries attended the seminar, actively engaging in discussions, case studies, and on-mat evaluations.

Throughout the entire week, participants demonstrated strong enthusiasm and commitment, sharing experiences and strengthening the regional wrestling community.

The educational portion of the event officially opened on May 26, with an inauguration ceremony attended by several dignitaries, including Ramón Francisco GONZÁLEZ PINEDA, President of the Guatemalan Wrestling Federation, and Francisco Eduardo LEE LÓPEZ, President of United World Wrestling Americas, who addressed all participants with words of encouragement.

The training camp allowed athletes from across the continent to train together, guided by both educators and coaches from the participating nations. Thanks to the excellent facilities at CARDA and the availability of five official mats, strength and conditioning areas, saunas, and recovery facilities, athletes were able to prepare under optimal conditions.

GUAWrestlers warm up and get ready to compete at the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The week culminated with the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup, held on May 31 and June 1. This year’s competition featured 619 matches across three wrestling styles: Freestyle (FS), Greco-Roman (GR), and Women’s Wrestling (WW), in four age groups: Senior, U20, U17, and U15. Over 308 athletes from 16 countries competed, including delegations from Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The entire competition was managed using UWW’s official Arena system, with full implementation of the latest UWW standards in terms of competition management, medical protocols, anti-doping education, and technological support, with valuable collaboration from the UWW Americas T&R team.

The Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament continues to serve as a cornerstone for the development of wrestling in the Americas, providing athletes, coaches, and referees an invaluable opportunity for growth within a fully integrated educational and competitive framework.

United World Wrestling firmly believes that programs like these represent the ideal path for sustainable development, offering new generations of participants access to high-level international events while enhancing both their technical and personal growth within our sport.