Hayden wins silver, Root gets fourth and U.S. women are third at U17 Beach World Championships in Greece

KATERINI, Greece –The United States had a slow start in the sand on Thursday but came back with a finalist and a third-place team trophy after a gritty performance at the 2025 U17 Beach World Championships at the Aloha Beach Bar. It was the largest U17 age-group Beach World Tournament ever, and highly competitive in every weight class for both girls and boys.

Ultimately, competing in the dark alongside the Aegean Sea, Maddie Hayden won a silver medal at 75 kg, Molly Root was fourth at 45 kg, and the U.S. earned the third-place trophy in the women’s division. It was the third straight year that Team USA won a team trophy for U17 Beach women, after placing third in 2023 and first in 2024.

Hayden went 2-1 to place second in Group C, scoring victories over Iringo Deri of Serbia by pin and Sierra Ripka of the USA, 3-0. Although she lost to Merily Vaester of Estonia, 3-1 in the final Group match, she scored enough points to place second in the Group and advance to the semifinals.

 In the semifinals, Hayden nailed a massive hip toss for three points and a pin in 12 seconds against Eli Seitaridou of Greece. In the gold-medal finals against Elena Zaimadou of Greece, Hayden opened with a slick throw which was awarded one point. On the next exchange, Hayden went to throw Zaimadou but landed on her own back, which was judged a three-point throw for the fall. The USA challenge was declined.

Root also went 2-1 in Group B, scoring victories over Reya Stoilova of Bulgaria and Natalija Obradinov of Serbia, which was enough to place second in the Group and advance in the semifinals.

Root was leading by criteria 1-1 in her semifinals match over Kaltouma Silissou Abdoulaye Abakar of France, but touched her knee to fall behind 2-1. A late attempt was countered for a 3-1 Abakar victory. In the bronze-medal bout, Karen Rios Silva of Mexico nailed a throw to end the match in 38 seconds.

Team points from Hayden and Root gave the USA 32 points for third place, behind champion Greece with 50 points and runner-up France with 42 points. Earning top-10 finishes for the U.S. women were Ezmerelda Fuller (6^th at 75 kg), Sierra Ripka (8^th at 75 kg) and Katelynn Dockery (9^th at 45 kg).

There were four U.S. men competing, all who won at least one match, but none able to advance to the championship bracket. Scoring two wins was Kirick Gurkin (80 kg). His teammates with one victory were Jace Keller (70 kg), Chris Anguiano (80 kg) and Talon Worden (90 kg).

The competition continues on Friday with the U20 Beach World Championships. The USA has a large and talented team for both men and women.

U17 BEACH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Katerini, Greece, September 25

Women’s results

45 kg

Gold – Heklanys Rivera Quiles (Puerto Rico)

Silver - Kaltouma Silissou Abdoulaye Abakar (France)

Bronze – Karen Rios Silva (Mexico)

4^th - Molly Root (USA)

5^th - Reya Stoilova (Bulgaria)

6^th - Zehra Ozdemir (Turkiye)

7^th - Natalija Obradinov (Serbia)

8^th - Antigoni Leka (Greece)

9^th - Katelynn Dockery (USA)

Gold – Heklanys Rivera Quiles (Puerto Rico) dec. Kaltouma Silissou Abdoulaye Abakar (France), 3-0, 2:13

Bronze – Karen Rios Silva (Mexico) pin Molly Root (USA), 0:38

55 kg

Gold –Ulviyya Musaeva (Azerbaijan)

Silver - Reisa Kojima (Japan)

Bronze – Madalina Pavel (Romania)

4^th - Agata Kucharska (Poland),

5^th - Fatma Yilmaz (Turkey)

6^th - Eleni Gavrinioti (Greece)

7^th - Mia Kovac (Croatia)

8^th - Naoise McManus (Great Britain)

9^th - Ngoc Thao Thom Bui (Vietnam)

10^th - Jagoda Gorska (Poland)

Gold –Ulviyya Musaeva (Azerbaijan) pin Reisa Kojima (Japan), 0:16

Bronze – Madalina Pavel (Romania) dec. Agata Kucharska (Poland), 3-0, 2:29

65 kg

Gold – Alexandra Moisei (Moldova)

Silver - Thea Roussel (France)

Bronze – Graciela Eningo Asama (Spain)

4^th - Emanuela Rados (Croatia)

5^th - Eleni Damaskou (Greece)

6^th - Miranda Kapanadze (Georgia)

7^th - Vasiliki Karavanou (Greece)

8^th - Karol Tamson (Estonia)

9^th - Kateryna Vovk (Ukraine)

10^th - Iryna Bukhtina (Ukraine)

Gold – Alexandra Moisei (Moldova) dec. Thea Roussel (France), 3-0, 0:48

Bronze – Graciela Eningo Asama (Spain) dec. Emanuela Rados (Croatia), pin, 0:30

75 kg

Gold - Elena Zaimidou (Greece)

Silver - Maddie Hayden (USA)

Bronze - Merily Vaester (Estonia)

4^th - Eli Seitaridou (Greece)

5^th - Deborah Garcia Pacheco (Mexico

6^th - Ezmerelda Fuller (USA)

7^th - Ainara Sanchez Zapata (Spain)

8^th - Sierra Ripka (USA)

9^th - Tanya Ivanova (Bulgaria)

10^th - Abigail Fabrizzi (France)

Gold - Elena Zaimidou (Greece) pin Maddie Hayden (USA), 0:34

Bronze - Merily Vaester (Estonia) dec. Eli Seitaridou (Greece), 3-1, 1:45

U.S. U17 Women’s Beach Team roster

45 kg: Molly Root, Dimondale, Mich., 4^th place

WIN Reya Stoilova (Bulgaria), pin 1:28

LOSS Heklanys Rivera Quiles (Puerto Rico), pin, 0:06

WIN Natalija Obradinov (Serbia), 2-0, 3:00

LOSS Kaltouma Silissou Abdoulaye Abakar (France), 3-1, 2:56

LOSS Karen Rios Silva (Mexico), pin, 0:38

45 kg: Katelynn Dockery, Bryan, Texas, 9^th place

Knockout – LOSS Kaltouma Salissou Aboulaye (France), pin 2:24

55 kg: June Treser-Pyles, Dayton, Ohio, 21^st place

Knockout – LOSS Fatma Yilmaz (Turkey), 3-0, 1:15

65 kg: Cheyanne Wolfard-Henry, Bremerton, Wash., 20^th place

LOSS Sylvia Espinosa Muniz (Mexico), 3-2, 1:54

LOSS Kata Seregi (Serbia), 3-0, 2:37

LOSS Emanuela Rados (Croatia), 3-1, 0:33

65 kg: Addison Clixby, Missoula, Montana, 24^th place

LOSS Miranda Kapanadze (Georgia), 3-1, 1:12

LOSS Sophia Anastase (Romania), pin, 0:25

LOSS Iryna Bukhtina (Ukraine).pin. 0:08

65 kg: Ilyana Martinez, Eldridge, Mo., 16^th place

LOSS Rana Nuriyeva (Azerbaijan), 2-1, 3:00

LOSS Alexandra Moisei (Moldova), 3-0, 1:35

WIN Natalia Taseva (Bulgaria), 4-1, 2:25

75 kg: Maddie Hayden, Alta, Mich., silver medal

WIN Iringo Deri (Serbia), pin, 0:30

WIN Sierra Ripka (USA), 3-0, 1:26

LOSS Merily Vaester (Estonia), 3-1, 2:27

WIN Eli Seitaridou (Greece), pin 0:12

LOSS Elena Zaimidou (Greece), pin, 0:34

75 kg: Ezmerelda Fuller, Edmond, Okla., 6^th place

LOSS Elena Zaimadou (Greece), pin, 0:49

WIN Abigail Fabrizzi (France), 3-0, 0:36

WIN Ainara Sanchez Zapata (Spain), 3-1, 1:54

75 kg: Sierra Ripka, Glen Lyon, Pa., 8^th place

LOSS Merily Vaester (Estonia), 3-0, 1:07

LOSS Maddie Hayden (USA), 3-0, 1:26

WIN Iringo Deri (Serbia), 1:25

U17 Women’s Beach Team Standings

1. Greece, 50

2. France, 42

3. United States, 32

4. Azerbaijan, 25

4. Moldova, 25

4. Puerto Rico, 25

7. Mexico, 25

8. Spain, 23

9. Estonia, 21

10. Japan, 20

11. Croatia, 20

12. Turkiye, 19

13. Romania, 15

14. Bulgaria, 14

15. Poland, 12

(0f 22 nations)

Men’s results

60 kg

Gold – Mykyta Kuzmenko (Ukraine)

Silver - Rati Beridze (Georgia)

Bronze – Ali Asghar Kepej (Iran)

Bronze - Pavlos Ntiantiadis (Greece)

5^th - Alirza Heybatli (Azerbaijan)

6^th - Stefan Puscas (Romania)

7^th - Nikolas Harin (Moldova)

8^th - Amirali Ali Domirkolaei (Iran)

9^th - Stanislav Diaconu (Moldova)

10^th - Eljan Hasanov (Azerbaijan)

Gold – Mykyta Kuzmenko (Ukraine) dec. Rati Beridze (Georgia), 3-0, 0:49

Bronze – Ali Asghar Kepej (Iran) dec. Pavlos Ntiantiadis (Greece) 4-1, 2:20

70 kg

Gold – Youssof Hosseinpouran (Iran)

Silver - Ilya Vagharikondlaji (Iran)

Bronze – Bidzina Jintchararadze (Georgia)

4^th - Rashad Aliyev (Azerbaijan)

5^th - Ivan Zalisko (Ukraine)

6^th - Joab Carrillo Rodriguez (Puerto Rico)

7^th - Raul Castillo Molina (Mexico)

8^th - Luka Makharadze (Georgia)

9^th - Yuki Ueda (Japan)

10^th - Bohdan Kvantaliani (Georgia)

Gold – Youssof Hosseinpouran (Iran) pin Ilya Vagharikondlaji (Iran), 2:40

Bronze – Bidzina Jintchararadze (Georgia) dec. Rashad Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 3-0, 0:52

80 kg

Gold – Nihad Suleymanli (Azerbaijan)

Silver - Nuradin Mustafaev (Georgia), 3-0, 1:08

Bronze – Abolfazi Saadati (Iran)

4^th - Samir Ibishov (Ukraine)

5^th - Zebur Abashidze (Georgia)

6^th - Konstantinos Mourtzilakis (Greece)

7^th - Elvin Hajibuluyev (Azerbaijan)

8^th - Luca Salanta (Romania)

9^th - Panagiotis Kyparissopoulos (Greece)

10^th - Jenier Soto Pastrana (Puerto Rico)

Gold – Nihad Suleymanli (Azerbaijan) dec. Nuradin Mustafaev (Georgia), 3-0, 1:08

Bronze – Abolfazi Saadati (Iran) dec. Samir Ibishov (Ukraine), 3-2, 0:43

90 kg

Gold – Mohammadmahdi Fotouhi (Iran)

Silver - Joni Shaorshadze (Georgia)

Bronze – Elgun Karimli (Azerbaijan)

4^th - Bitalie Perciun (Moldova)

5^th - Ion Pavel (Romania)

6^th - Dimitrios Papaparaskevas (Greece)

7^th - Charilaos Chaitidis (Greece)

8^th - Marshall Everett Jones (Great Britain)

9^th - Yasin Erturk (Turkey)

10^th -  Mohlat Gasimov (Azerbaijan)

Gold – Mohammadmahdi Fotouhi (Iran) pin Joni Shaorshadze (Georgia), 2:50

Bronze – Elgun Karimli (Azerbaijan) pin Bitalie Perciun (Moldova), 1:22

U.S. U17 Beach Men’s results

70 kg: Jace Keller, Milan, Mo., 18^th place   

LOSS Bohdan Kvantaliani (Georgia), 3-0, 0:59

WIN Lorenzo Proietti (Italy), 3-1, 0:52

LOSS Ivan Zalisko (Ukraine), pin 0:28

80 kg: Kirick Gurkin, Leland, N.C., 12^th place

WIN Rodrigo Novo Santos (Portugal), 3-1, 0:53

LOSS Nihad Suleymanli (Azerbaijan), 3-0, 0:44

WIN Dilian Yahir Flores Gonzalez (Mexico), 3-1, 1:07

80 kg: Chris Anguiano, Anaheim, Calif., 14^th place   

LOSS Zebur Abashidze (Georgia), pin, 0:31

LOSS Luca Salanta (Romania), 3-1, 1:05

WIN Norbert Tapodi (Hungary), 3-2, 1:40

90 kg: Talon Worden, Farmington, Mo.

WIN Elguja Lomidze (Georgia), 3-0, 1:20

LOSS Jose Esparza Ordonez (Mexico), pin, 0:17

LOSS Dimitrios Papararaskevas (Greece), pin, 0:29

U17 Men’s Beach Team Standings

1. Iran, 80

2. Georgia, 75

3. Azerbaijan, 62

4. Ukraine, 47

5. Greece, 30

6. Romania, 25

7. Moldova, 20

8. Puerto Rico, 11

9. Mexico, 8

10. Great Britain, 6

11. Japan, 4

12. Turkiye, 4

(of 23 nations)