SAINT-LAURENT-DU-VAR, France – Four U.S. Senior athletes scored victories on day one of the Beach World Series Saint-Laurent-du-Var on Cousteau Beach on Friday. This is the second stop of the 2024 UWW Beach World Series tour.

Friday’s action featured the first two matches in each Group, with the third and deciding match set for Saturday morning. Athletes are attempting to advance out of their group into the “knockout” bracket later on Saturday, which determines the individual medalists.

2013 World champion Eliana Bommarito (Brighton, Mich./Michigan Revolution WC) got a great start towards winning Group B at Over 70 kg with two wins. She stopped Angelique Gonzalez of France and Iryna Pasichnyk of Ukraine on Friday. With a win over Marine Le Cour Grandmaison of France on Saturday, Bommarito will advance to the knockout bracket.

Four U.S. athletes claimed one victory on Saturday, Justin Benjamin (St. Charles, Ill.) at men’s 70 kg, Jamal Morris (Miami, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons HS) at men’s 90 kg, Kyle Ferriter (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at men’s Over 90 kg and Mariah Anderson (Houston, Texas/Air Force RTC) at women’s 50 kg.

Benjamin was the first U.S. male to win a Senior Beach World Series event in history, with his gold medal at the first tour stop this year in Acapulco, Mexico. He was 1-1 in his pool, with a victory over Quentin Jean Rene Sticker of France. He will need a win over Ivan Semenov of Ukraine tomorrow for a chance to advance.

Anderson opened with a loss in Group B, but rallied for a win over Justin Fanny Vigouroux of France in her second bout. She has a must-win bout against Claudia Cabrera of Argentina on Saturday.

Ferriter had two matches in a five-athlete round robin, finishing his day at 1-1, with a win over Quentin Milliere of France. He will have two more round robin matches on Saturday which will determine if he gets a medal.

Morris was placed in a knockout match, which he had to win in order to earn a spot in one of the groups. He won his knockout match 1-0 over Kevin Gremm of Germany. He lost his first two Group B matches, and faces Oleksii Yakovchuk of Ukraine on Saturday, needing a victory for a chance at advancing.

Mitch Brown (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Force RTC) lost his knockout match at 70 kg and did not advance to the group competition.

Saturday’s morning session at 10:00 a.m. local time is the final round of group competition. At the 3:00 p.m. session, the elimination rounds will be held for those who advanced out of the groups, and then the finals. Saint-Laurent-du-Var is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.

All of the action is broadcast live on FloWrestling

BEACH WORLD SERIES SAINT-LAURENT-DU-VAR

At Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France, June 28

U.S. men’s freestyle results

70 kg: Justin Benjamin, St. Charles, Ill.

Group B

WIN Quentin Jean Rene Sticker (France), 3-1, 2:57

LOSS Rashid Babazade (Azerbaijan), 3-0, 2:09

Vs. Ivan Semenov (Ukraine)

70 kg: Mitch Brown, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Air Force RTC)

Knockout

LOSS Carlos Alvarez Iglesias (Spain), pin 2:06

90 kg: Jamal Morris, Miami, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons HS)

Knockout

WIN Kevin Gremm (Germany), 1-0

Group B

LOSS Eugeniu Mihalcean (Moldova), pin 0:25

LOSS Demid Karachenko (Ukraine), 3-1, 2:08

Vs. Oleksii Yakovchuk (Ukraine)

Over 90 kg: Kyle Ferriter, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Four athlete round robin

LOSS Mamuka Kordzaia (Georgia), 2-1

WIN Quentin Milliere (France), 3-2, 2:50

Vs. Alessio Vandi (Italy)

Vs. Vazha Daiauri (Ukraine)

U.S. women’s freestyle results

50 kg - Mariah Anderson, Houston, Texas (Air Force RTC)

Group B

LOSS Viktoriia Slobodeniuk (Ukraine), 5-2, 2:07

WIN Justin Fanny Vigouroux (France), 3-0, 2:52

Vs. Claudia Cabrera (Argentina)

Over 70 kg - Eliana Bommarito, Brighton, Mich. (Michigan Revolution WC)

Group B

WIN Angelique Gonzalez (France), 3-0, 0:43

WIN Iryna Pasichnyk (Ukraine), 3-1, 1:04

Vs. Marine Le Cour Grandmaison (France)

Remaining Event Schedule, local time

(Saint-Laurent-du-Var is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)

Saturday, June 29

10:00 a.m. – Group Rounds

3:00 p.m. – Elimination rounds and finals

World champion Bommarito unbeaten, four U.S. wrestlers get a win at Beach World Series in France

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