Three wrestle-offs for U.S. ANOC World Beach Games Team set for June 24 at Rathbun Lake in Mystic, Iowa

Jamal Morris, shown at a Beach World Series event in Argentina, will compete in an 80 kg Special Wrestle-off this weekend. Photo courtesy of Rusty Davidson.


Three positions on the U.S. team that will compete in the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia in August will be determined on Saturday, June 24.


The Special Wrestle-offs will be held at the Rathbun Lake Swim Area, near Mystic, Iowa, alongside one of the most successful events in the Beach Tour of America, the Kraken Beach Wrestling Championships.


The United States has qualified to compete in five of the eight weight classes at the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games, three in the women’s division and two in the men’s division.


There were five UWW Beach World Series events used to qualify nations for the World Beach Games, three in 2022 and two in 2023.


According to the Athlete Selection Procedures for the World Beach Games, if the athlete who qualifies the USA for the World Beach Games also wins their weight class at the 2023 Senior Beach Nationals, that athlete makes the U.S. World Beach Games Team. However, if this does not happen, there will be a best-of-three series held between the athlete who qualified the weight and the 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion at that weight class.


No athlete qualified the weight class for Bali and also won the 2023 Beach Nationals title.


The three wrestle-offs for the World Beach Games team set for Saturday in Iowa will be:


Men’s 70 kg:

Athlete who qualified USA for World Beach Games Mitchell Cook of Orland Park, Ill. vs. 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Jamel Johnson of Jacksonville, N.C.


Men’s 80 kg:

Athlete who qualified USA for World Beach Games Ty Loethen of Columbia, Mo. vs. 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Jamal Morris of Miami, Fla.


Women’s Over 70 kg:

Athlete who qualified USA for World Beach Games Isabeau Shalack of Oak Lawn, Ill. vs. 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Eliana Bommarito of Brighton, Mich.


In two of these weight classes, the wrestlers in the Special Wrestle-offs met in the 2023 Senior Beach Nationals finals in Carolina Beach, N.C. in May. Johnson defeated Cook in three matches, while Bommarito defeated Shalack in two straight matches. Loethen did not enter the 2023 Senior Beach Nationals.


The first match of the best of three series will begin at 12:00 noon Central Time., with the second round 30 minutes after the completion of the first match, and a third match, if needed, 30 minutes after the completion of the first match in round two. This time could change based upon weather.


At 60 kg in women ‘s freestyle, 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Sofia Macaluso of Otisville, N.Y. declined her spot in the Special Wrestle-off, giving the World Beach Games berth to her sister Mia Macaluso of Otisville, N.Y., the athlete who qualified the weight for the USA.


At 50 kg in women’s freestyle, the athlete who qualified the weight for the USA, Laura White of Duanesburg, N.Y., declined her spot in the Special Wrestle-off, giving the World Beach Games berth to 2023 Senior Beach Nationals champion Jennesis Martinez of Albuquerque, N.M.


Athletes of all ages can compete in the Kraken Beach Wrestling Championships, a USA Wrestling sanctioned event as part of the Beach Tour of America. For more information, please visit the website at:
https://wrestlethekraken.com/

ANOC WORLD BEACH GAMES SPECIAL WRESTLE-OFF

At Mystic, Iowa, June 24


Best of three series pairings

Men’s 70 kg: Mitchell Cook, Orland Park, Ill. vs. Jamel Johnson, Jacksonville, N.C.

Men’s 80 kg: Ty Loethen, Columbia, Mo. vs. Jamal Morris, Miami, Fla.

Women’s Over 70 kg: Isabeau Shalack, Oak Lawn, Ill. vs. Eliana Bommarito, Brighton, Mich.