Isbell-Kemp wins bronze medal at World Beach Games; Bradley and Cooper both win bouts in their pool

Photo of Shauna Isbell-Kemp with her World Beach Games bronze medal by Ed Duncan. Flag background for homepage image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay.


DOHA, Qatar - Shauna Isbell-Kemp (Jamestown, N.D./Titan Mercury WC), won a bronze medal at 60 kg in Beach Wrestling on Tuesday, giving the United States its first medal in Beach Wrestling at the ANOC World Beach Games.


Isbell-Kemp finished with an impressive 4-2 record for the day. She won her bronze-medal match by injury default over Kateryna Zhydachevska of Romania to secure her medal.


She had a 3-1 record in her pool. She opened with a 3-0 loss to Zhydachevska, then ran off three straight victories. In order, she beat Juliette Rondet of France, 3-0, Jeannie Kessler of Austria, 3-0 and Crystal Holder of Barbados, 3-1. Isbell-Kemp was beaten in the semifinals by Mehluk Ozturk of Turkey, 5-2.


Isbell-Kemp is the head coach for women’s wrestling at Jamestown University in North Dakota, and is a past member of the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team. Isbell was a five-time U.S. Open All-American. She was a 2012 WCWA college national champion and three-time finalist for Lindenwood University.


“Shauna came to win and wrestled aggressively the entire event. She has earned the first medal for the U.S. in wrestling at the Beach World Games, and that will be a milestone to remember in the years to come as Beach Wrestling becomes a fan favorite,” said U.S. team leader and coach Ed Duncan.


All three U.S. wrestlers who competed on Tuesday won at least one match in their pool competition, but Isbell-Kemp was the only American to qualify for the semifinals, which featured the top two athletes in each pool.


Over 90 kg, Diante Cooper (USA/Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force WCAP) finished with a 2-2 record, just missing a chance to reach the semifinals by placing third in his pool. His final place in the tournament was fifth.


He opened with a pair of victories, stopping Davi Albino of Brazil, 3-0 and Ionnis Kargiotakis of Greece, 3-1. He dropped a pair of matches to Pouya Rahmani of Iran, 3-0 and Ufuk Yilmaz of Turkey, 3-1. Rahmani went on to win the gold medal and Yilmaz ended up with the silver medal.


Cooper is active duty Air Force, stationed in Colorado Springs, Colo. and in its World Class Athlete Program. He competed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman for the Air Force at the 2019 Armed Forces Championships in El Paso, Texas. He also competed in college for Campbellsville University.


Finishing with a 1-3 record in her pool at Over 70 kg was Donell Bradley (Hephizibah, Ga./Morris Fitness), who ended up placing seventh place in her weight class. Her victory came over Ioana Ludgate of American Samoa, 4-0. Losses were to Iryna Pasichnyk of Ukraine, 5-0, Aikaterini Pitsiava of Greece, 3-1 and Zsanett Nemeth of Hungary, 3-0.


Bradley was an athlete on the early Missouri Valley College women’s wrestling teams and also qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team in freestyle. She is currently coaching with Harlem High School in Georgia and is a coach with Team Georgia.


This concludes the Beach Wrestling competition at the historic first ANOC Beach World Games. On Monday, Kristal Betanzo (Hillsborough, Calif./Leviathon WC) placed sixth at 50 kg, and Ashley Sword (Decatur Ga./Valkyrie WC) placed eighth at 70 kg.


“Our entire team has earned respect from other athletes for their toughness in the sand and their warmth off of it. The experience was amazing. The hospitality of the people of Qatar, the organizers and athletes has been so much fun. Sand, sun, fun and world-class competition. What could be better?” said Duncan.

WORLD BEACH GAMES

At Doha, Qatar


U.S. Women’s Beach Wrestlers performance on Tuesday


60 kg - Shauna Isbell-Kemp (Jamestown, N.D./Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal

LOSS Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania), 3-0

WIN Juliette Rondet (France), 3-0

WIN Jeannie Kessler (Austria), 3-0

WIN Crystal Holder (Barbados), 3-1

LOSS Mehluk Ozturk (Turkey), 5-2

WIN Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania), inj. dft.


Over 70 kg - Donell Bradley (Hephizibah, Ga./Morris Fitness), 7th place

LOSS Iryna Pasichnyk (Ukraine), 5-0

WIN Ioana Ludgate (American Samoa), 4-0

LOSS Aikaterini Pitsiava (Greece), 3-1

LOSS Zsanett Nemeth (Hungary), 3-0

U.S. Men’s Beach Wrestler performance on Tuesday


Over 90 kg - Diante Cooper (USA/Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force WCAP), 5th place

WIN Davi Albino (Brazil), 3-0

WIN Ionnis Kargiotakis (Greece), 3-1

LOSS Pouya Rahmani (Iran), 3-0

LOSS Ufuk Yilmaz (Turkey), 3-1

Beach Wrestling Medal winners on Tuesday


Women’s 60 kg

Gold - Francesca Indelicato (Italy)

Silver - Mehluk Ozturk (Turkey)

Bronze – Shauna Isbell-Kemp (USA)

Gold Bout – Indelicato dec. Ozturk, inj. dft.

Bronze Bout – Isbell-Kemp dec. Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania), inj. dft.

Semifinal 1 – Ozturk dec. Isbell-Kemp, 5-2

Semifinal 2 – Indelicato dec. Zhydachevska, 3-2


Women’s Over 70 kg

Gold - Blessing Joy Onyebucihi (Nigeria)

Silver - Zsanett Nemeth (Hungary)

Bronze - Iryna Pasichnyk (Ukraine)

Gold bout – Onyebucihi dec. Nemeth, 3-2

Bronze bout – Pasichnyk dec. Catalina Axente (Romania), 3-1

Semifinal 1 – Onyebecihi dec. Pasichnyk, 3-2

Semifinal 2 – Zsanett dec. Axente, 4-0


Men’s 80 kg

Gold – Davit Khutsishvili (Georgia)

Silver – Ibrahim Yusubov (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine)

Gold bout – Khutsishvili dec. Yusubov, 5-1

Bronze bout – Mykhailov dec. Efe Unal (Turkey), 3-0

Semifinal 1 – Khutsishvili dec. Unal, 3-0

Semifinal 2 – Yusubov dec. Mykhailov, 3-1


Men’s Over 90 kg

Gold - Pouya Rahmani (Iran)

Silver - Ufuk Yilmaz (Turkey)

Bronze - Mamuka Kordzaia (Georgia)

Gold bout –Rahmani de. Yilmaz, 3-0

Bronze bout – Kordzaia dec. Oyan Nazariani (Azerbaijan), 1-1

Semifinal 1 – Yilmaz dec Kordzaia, 1-0

Semifinal 2 – Rahmani dec. Nazariani, 3-0