Benjamin wins silver, Bommarito adds bronze at Beach World Series Monterrey in Mexico

MONTERREY, Mexico – Justin Benjamin of Illinois won a silver medal at 70 kg in men’s Beach Wrestling and Eliana Bommarito of Michigan added a bronze medal at Over 70 kg in women’s Beach Wrestling on the final day of the Beach World Series Monterrey on Tuesday. This was the first of five 2025 UWW Beach World Series events.

Benjamin, who was 2-0 on Monday, opened his day with a huge 2-1 win over multiple Beach World champion Levan Kelekhashvili of Georgia. Benjamin won the match with a late score to break a tie.

In the semifinals, he dispatched Brandon Alvarez Mata of Mexico, 3-0, in 42 seconds. Kelekhsashvili also won his semifinal match, getting a rematch with Benjamin. In the finals, it was Kelekhsashvili who was able to break a 1-1 tie with a score to edge Benjamin, 2-1.

Benjamin made history with his medal performance, becoming the first U.S. men’s Beach wrestler to win a second career Beach World Series medal. His first came at the 2024 Beach World Series Acapulco, also in Mexico. In Acapulco, he became the first and only U.S. man to win a Beach World Series gold medal.

Bommarito, who was also 2-0 on Monday, was defeated in the semifinals by Linda Machuca of Argentina, 4-1. Bommarito ralled with a pin in 33 seconds in the bronze-medal match against Luz Hernandez Hernandez of Mexico, her second win over Hernandez during the event.

Bommarito, a two-time Beach World champion (2023 and 2024), extended her U.S. record for Beach World Series medals to seven. All of her other Beach World Series medals have been gold medals.

Kyle Ferriter of Colorado, a 2024 Beach World bronze medalist, went 2-0 on Monday and opened his day with a 3-0 win over Morales Bojorquez of Mexico, 3-2. In the semifinals, he was defeated by four-time Greco-Roman World medalist Oscar Pino Hinds of Cuba. In his bronze-medal match, Ferriter was defeated by Fatih Yasarli of Turkiye, 3-0.

The other three U.S. wrestlers lost their third-round Group matches on Tuesday morning and did not qualify for the semifinals. Ruben Calderon of Texas finished fifth at 70 kg. Bryan Coll of New York was seventh at 70 kg and Rodrick Love of Illinois was seventh at 80 kg.

The event featured a number of Pan American athletes who excel in the Olympic styles on the mat. Winning a gold medal at the Women’s Over 70 kg weight class was Olympic bronze medalist Milaimy Marin Portrille of Cuba.

Three other prominent mat wrestlers won medals, but did not get gold. Pino finished as a silver medalist at the Over 90 kg men’s division. 2025 Pan American freestyle champion Agustin Destribats of Argentina and two-time Olympian Luisa Valverde Melendres of Ecuador finished third.

BEACH WORLD SERIES MONTERREY

At Monterrey, Mexico, May 12-13

Men’s Beach Wrestling final results

70 kg

Gold - Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia)

Silver - Justin Benjamin (USA)

Bronze - Agustin Destribats (Argentina)

4^th - Brandon Alvarez Mata (Mexico)

5^th - Ruben Calderon (USA)

6^th - Alexis Rodriguez Hernandez (Mexico)

7^th - Bryan Coll (USA)

8^th - Axel Salas Esquivel (Mexico)

Gold - Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia) dec. Justin Benjamin (USA), 2-1, 3:00

Bronze - Agustin Destribats (Argentina) dec. Brandon Alvarez Mata (Mexico), 3-0, 1:43

80 kg

Gold - Geannis Garzon Tamay (Cuba)

Silver - Nika Kentchadze (Georgia)

Bronze - Yael Perez Ake (Mexico)

4^th - Raul Palacios Dominguez (Mexico)

5^th - Miljan Rajic (Serbia)

6^th - Hugo Cuenot (France)

7^th - Rodrick Love (USA)

8^th - David Elias Choc Huoc (Guatemala)

9^th - Oscar Barrios Rochez (Honduras)

10^th - Shane Jones (Puerto Rico)

Gold - Geannis Garzon Tamay (Cuba) dec. Nika Kentchadze (Georgia), 3-1, 1:42

Bronze - Yael Perez Ake (Mexico) dec. Raul Palacios Dominguez (Mexico), 3-2, 2:51

90 kg

Gold - Jose Vargas Rueda (Mexico)

Silver - Cesar Ubico Estrad (Guatemala)

Bronze - Dato Piruzashvili (Georgia)

4^th - Jorge Llano (Argentina)

5^th - Omer Ozyildirim (Turkey)

6^th Kevin De Leon Trevino (Mexico)

7^th - Oscar Aguilar Good (Mexico)

Gold - Jose Vargas Rueda (Mexico) vs. Cesar Ubico Estrad (Guatemala), 4-1, 2:58

Bronze - Dato Piruzashvili (Georgia) dec. Jorge Llano (Argentina), 3-0, 5:24

Over 90 kg

Gold - Mamuka Kordzaia (Georgia)

Silver - Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba)

Bronze - Fatih Yasarli (Turkey)

4^th - Kyle Ferriter (USA)

5^th - Rafail Gkirnis (Greece)

6^th - Paul Morales Bojorquez (Mexico)

7^th - Ulises Sanchez Robles (Mexico)

8^th - Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico)

9^th - Ricardo Gomez (Argentina)

10^th - Rizieri Chavez Ledesma (Mexico)

11^th - Ricardo Baez (Argentina)

Gold - Mamuka Kordzaia (Georgia) dec. Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), 3-0, 0:50

Bronze - Fatih Yasarli (Turkey) dec. Kyle Ferriter (USA), 3-0, 0:40

Women’s Beach Wrestling final results

50 kg

Gold - Mercedes Castillo Bernal (Mexico)

Silver - Claudia Cabrera (Argentina)

Bronze - Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico)

Bronze - Ana Palacios Hernandes (Mexico)

Mercedes Castillo Bernal (Mexico) dec. Claudia Cabrera (Argentina), 3-0, 1:48

Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico) dec. Ana Palacios Hernandes (Mexico), 2-1, 3:00

Claudia Cabrera (Argentina) dec. Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico), 3-1, 3:00

Mercedes Castillo Bernal (Mexico) dec. Ana Palacios Hernandez (Mexico), 3-1, 2:57

Ana Palacios Hernandez (Mexico) pin Claudia Cabrera (Argentina), 1:07

Mercedes Castillo Bernal (Mexico) dec. Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico), 3-0

60 kg

Gold - AndrianYaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba)

Silver - Adrianny Castillo Castillo (Argentina)

Bronze - Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador)

4th - Anastasiya Kravchenko (Ukraine)

5^th - Andrea Avelino Barrientos (Mexico)

6^th - Camila Amarilla (Argentina)

7^th - Josefina Ramirez Duarte (Mexico)

8^th - Karla Ramos Espinosa (Mexico)

Gold - AndrianYaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba) dec. Adrianny Castillo Castillo (Argentina), 2-0, 3:00

Bronze - Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador) dec. Anastasiya Kravchenko (Ukraine), 3-1

70 kg

Gold - Dimitra Androutsou (Greece)

Silver - Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico)

Bronze - Michelle Olea Ruiz (Mexico)

4^th - Elide Castanon Buendia (Mexico)

Dimitra Androutsou (Greece) pin Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico), 1:31

Michelle Olea Ruiz (Mexico) dec. Elide Castanon Buendia (Mexico), 2-1, 3:00

Dimitra Androutsou (Greece) dec. Michelle Olea Ruiz (Mexico), 2-1, 3:00

Debanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico) dec. Elide Castanon Buendia (Mexico), 3-0, 0:48

Dimitra Androutsou (Greece) dec. Elide Castanon Buendia (Mexico), 3-0, 1:59

Deanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico) dec. Michelle Olea Ruiz (Mexico), 3-0, 1:01

Over 70 kg

Gold - Milaimy Marin Portrille (Cuba)

Silver - Linda Machuca (Argentina)

Bronze - Eliana Bommarito (USA)

4^th - Luz Hernandez Hernandez (Mexico)

5^th - Stefania Zacheila (Greece)

6^th - Pauliana Bernal Vences (Mexico)

Gold - Milaimy Marin Portrille (Cuba) dec. Linda Machuca (Argentina), 3-0, 0:31

Bronze - Eliana Bommarito (USA) pin Luz Hernandez Hernandez (Mexico), 0:33

Semifinal results

Men’s Beach Wrestling semifinals

70 kg

Justin Benjamin (USA) vs. Brandon Alvarez Mata (Mexico), 3-0, 0:42

Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia) dec. Agustin Destribats (Argentina), 1-0, 3:00

80 kg

Nika Kentchadze (Georgia) dec. Yael Perez Ake (Mexico), 3-0, 0:38

Geannis Garzon Tamay (Cuba) dec. Raul Palacios Dominguez (Mexico), 3-0, 1:47

90 kg

Jose Vargas Rueda (Mexico) dec. Dato Piruzashvili (Georgia), 3-1, 3:00

Cesar Ubico Estrad (Guatemala) dec. Jorge Llano (Argentina), 4-2, 2:51

Over 90 kg

Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba) dec. Kyle Ferriter (USA), 3-0, 0:44

Mamuka Kordzaia (Georgia) dec. Fatih Yasarli (Turkey), 1-0, 3:00

Women’s Beach Wrestling semifinals

50 kg (Round robin three)

Claudia Cabrera (Argentina) vs. Ana Palacios Hernandez (Mexico)

Mercedes Castillo Bernal (Mexico) vs. Linda Castaneda Gaona (Mexico)

60 kg

Andrianny Castillo Castillo (Argentina) dec. Anastasiya Kravchenko (Ukraine), 1-1

Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia (Cuba) dec. Luisa Valverde Melendres (Ecuador), 3-0

70 kg (Round robin three)

Dimitra Androutsou (Greece) vs. Elide Castanon Buendia (Mexico)

Deanhi Tapia Garcia (Mexico) vs. Michelle Olea Ruiz (Mexico)

Over 70 kg

Linda Machuca (Argentina) dec. Eliana Bommarito (USA), 4-1, 1:15

Milaimy Marin Portrille (Cuba) vs. Luz Hernandez Hernandez (Mexico), 3-0, 1:10

U.S. men’s Beach performances

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

WIN Axel Salas Esquivel (Mexico), 3-2, 0:58

WIN Alexis Hernandez Hernandez (Mexico), 3-0, 0:22

WIN Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia), 2-1, 3:00

WIN Brandon Alvarez Mata (Mexico), 3-0, 0:42

LOSS Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia), 2-1, 3:00

70 kg: Bryan Coll, Bayville, N.Y., 7^th place

LOSS Ruben Calderon (USA), 3-2, 0:49

LOSS Agustin Destribats (Argentina), 1-1, 3:00

LOSS Brandon Alvarez Mata (Mexico), 3-0,

70 kg: Ruben Calderon, Houston, Texas, 5^th place

WIN Bryan Coll (USA), 3-2, 0:49

LOSS Brandon Alvarez Mata (Mexico), pin 1:00

LOSS Agustin Destribats (Argentina), 2-1

80 kg: Rodrick Love, Springfield, Ill., 7^th place

LOSS Miljan Rajic (Serbia), pin 0:24

LOSS Yael Perez Ake (Mexico), 3-1, 1:31

LOSS Raul Palacios Dominguez (Mexico), pin 0:11

+90 kg: Kyle Ferriter, Colorado Springs, Colo., 4^th place

WIN Ulises Sanchez Robles (Mexico), 2-0, 3:00

WIN Rizieri Chavez Ledesma (Mexico), 3-0, 1:05

WIN Morales Bojorquez (Mexico), 3-0, 2:46

LOSS Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba), 3-0, 0:44

LOSS Fatih Yasarli (Turkiye), 3-0, 0:40

 U.S. Women’s Beach performance

+70 kg: Eliana Bommarito, Brighton, Mich., bronze medal

WIN Pauliana Bernal Vences (Mexico), pin 0:14

WIN Luz Maria Hernandez Hernandez (Mexico), 3-0, 1:30

LOSS Linda Machuca (Argentina), 4-1, 1:15

WIN Luz Hernandez Hernandez (Mexico), 0:33