Betanzos reach finals, Peters goes 1-1 on first day of Zagreb Beach World Series Final
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Top Photo: Kristal Betanzo of the USA tosses Carmen Teixeira of Portugal at 50 kg.
Bottom Photo: Diana Betanzo of the USA headlocks Sara Trbulin of Slovenia at 70 kg.
UWW Photos by Kadir Caliskan.
ZAGREB, Croatia – Three U.S. athletes entered the final event of the United World Wrestling Beach World Series, the Zagreb Beach World Series Final at Jarun State Park on Saturday. All three remain alive in the hunt for a medal.
The Betanzo family of Hillsborough, Calif., mother Diana and daughter Kristal, finished the day with a perfect 3-0 record in the women’s division.
Diana went 2-0 in a four-athlete weight class at 70 kg. She scored two quick throws for 3-0 victories, stopping Sara Trbulin of Slovenia in six seconds and Sonia Pereira Brazio of Portugal in nine seconds. She will face undefeated Anna Mazurkevych of Ukraine in the finals bout, with the winner earning the gold medal.
Diana’s eight second win over Trbulin was the fastest victory of the day on Saturday.
Diana placed second in the U.S. Women’s Beach World Games Trials, and will be a member of the 2019 U.S. Grappling World Team. Diana Betanzo competed in the third stop of the Beach World Series in Odessa, Ukraine in August. She is a past U.S. Senior World Team member in women’s freestyle wrestling.
Kristal went 1-0 in a three-athlete weight class at 50 kg. She opened with a 3-0 victory over Carmen Gomes Teixeira Vieira of Portugal, a match that lasted 17 seconds. Kristal will face unbeaten Anna Mazurkevych of Ukraine, in the match that will determine the gold medal.
Kristal won the U.S. Women’s Beach World Games Trials in Las Vegas in April, and will compete at the 2019 Beach World Games in Qatar in October. Kristal also won a Junior Beach World Championships bronze medal in August in Ukraine.
Competing for the third straight year in a Beach World Championships, Michael Peters of Quincy, Ill. finished the first day with a 1-1 record. In a seven-athlete weight class, he drew into Group B which featured four athletes. He opened with a 3-0 win over Petar Josipovic of Croatia, a bout that went just 16 second. In his second match, Peters was defeated 3-0 by Semen Radulov of Ukraine. Radulov entered the event at No. 2 in the Beach World Series Standings at 70 kg, with 18,000 points.
Peters will face Luka Malobabic of Croatia in his third Group B round-robin match on Sunday morning. Malobabic also has a 1-1 record in Group B action. The wrestlers will be battling to advance to the elimination stage of the tournament, which will be a single-elimination bracket.
This is the fourth stop in the UWW Beach World Series, and is serving as the World Championships event for the Senior level. Points scored in the four Beach World Series events will determine the final Beach World Series Rankings, and the No. 1 athlete in each weight class from these rankings will be called the Beach Wrestling World Champion.
All of the action is live on FloWrestling. Sessions on Sunday are set for 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Zagreb is six hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone.
ZAGREB BEACH WORLD SERIES FINAL
At Zagreb, Croatia
U.S. Senior Men’s performance
70 kg – Michael Peters, Quincy, Ill.
WIN Petar Josipovic (Croatia), 3-0, 0:16
LOSS Semen Radulov (Ukraine), 3-0, 0:28
Round Robin Match – Vs. Luka Malobabic (Croatia)
U.S. Senior Women’s performances
50 kg - Kristal Betanzo, Hillsborough, Calif.
WIN Carmen Gomes Teixeira Vieira (Portugal), 3-0, 0:17
Finals – vs. Kateryna Mashcevych (Ukraine)
70 kg - Diana Betanzo, Hillsborough, Calif.
WIN Sara Trbulin (Slovenia), 3-0, 0:06
WIN Sonia Pereira Brazio (Portugal), 3-0, 0:09
Finals – vs. Anna Mazurkevych (Ukraine)
Event Schedule
(six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Sunday, September 8
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Group Rounds
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. - Elimination rounds and finals
Bottom Photo: Diana Betanzo of the USA headlocks Sara Trbulin of Slovenia at 70 kg.
UWW Photos by Kadir Caliskan.
ZAGREB, Croatia – Three U.S. athletes entered the final event of the United World Wrestling Beach World Series, the Zagreb Beach World Series Final at Jarun State Park on Saturday. All three remain alive in the hunt for a medal.
The Betanzo family of Hillsborough, Calif., mother Diana and daughter Kristal, finished the day with a perfect 3-0 record in the women’s division.
Diana went 2-0 in a four-athlete weight class at 70 kg. She scored two quick throws for 3-0 victories, stopping Sara Trbulin of Slovenia in six seconds and Sonia Pereira Brazio of Portugal in nine seconds. She will face undefeated Anna Mazurkevych of Ukraine in the finals bout, with the winner earning the gold medal.
Diana’s eight second win over Trbulin was the fastest victory of the day on Saturday.
Diana placed second in the U.S. Women’s Beach World Games Trials, and will be a member of the 2019 U.S. Grappling World Team. Diana Betanzo competed in the third stop of the Beach World Series in Odessa, Ukraine in August. She is a past U.S. Senior World Team member in women’s freestyle wrestling.
Kristal went 1-0 in a three-athlete weight class at 50 kg. She opened with a 3-0 victory over Carmen Gomes Teixeira Vieira of Portugal, a match that lasted 17 seconds. Kristal will face unbeaten Anna Mazurkevych of Ukraine, in the match that will determine the gold medal.
Kristal won the U.S. Women’s Beach World Games Trials in Las Vegas in April, and will compete at the 2019 Beach World Games in Qatar in October. Kristal also won a Junior Beach World Championships bronze medal in August in Ukraine.
Competing for the third straight year in a Beach World Championships, Michael Peters of Quincy, Ill. finished the first day with a 1-1 record. In a seven-athlete weight class, he drew into Group B which featured four athletes. He opened with a 3-0 win over Petar Josipovic of Croatia, a bout that went just 16 second. In his second match, Peters was defeated 3-0 by Semen Radulov of Ukraine. Radulov entered the event at No. 2 in the Beach World Series Standings at 70 kg, with 18,000 points.
Peters will face Luka Malobabic of Croatia in his third Group B round-robin match on Sunday morning. Malobabic also has a 1-1 record in Group B action. The wrestlers will be battling to advance to the elimination stage of the tournament, which will be a single-elimination bracket.
This is the fourth stop in the UWW Beach World Series, and is serving as the World Championships event for the Senior level. Points scored in the four Beach World Series events will determine the final Beach World Series Rankings, and the No. 1 athlete in each weight class from these rankings will be called the Beach Wrestling World Champion.
All of the action is live on FloWrestling. Sessions on Sunday are set for 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Zagreb is six hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone.
ZAGREB BEACH WORLD SERIES FINAL
At Zagreb, Croatia
U.S. Senior Men’s performance
70 kg – Michael Peters, Quincy, Ill.
WIN Petar Josipovic (Croatia), 3-0, 0:16
LOSS Semen Radulov (Ukraine), 3-0, 0:28
Round Robin Match – Vs. Luka Malobabic (Croatia)
U.S. Senior Women’s performances
50 kg - Kristal Betanzo, Hillsborough, Calif.
WIN Carmen Gomes Teixeira Vieira (Portugal), 3-0, 0:17
Finals – vs. Kateryna Mashcevych (Ukraine)
70 kg - Diana Betanzo, Hillsborough, Calif.
WIN Sara Trbulin (Slovenia), 3-0, 0:06
WIN Sonia Pereira Brazio (Portugal), 3-0, 0:09
Finals – vs. Anna Mazurkevych (Ukraine)
Event Schedule
(six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone)
Sunday, September 8
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Group Rounds
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. - Elimination rounds and finals
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