By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling

POREC, Croatia - Three-time World champion Eliana Bommarito, who was the Michigan winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2022, went 4-0 in a five-athlete round robin to win a gold medal at the women’s Over 70 kg weight class at the Beach World Series Porec, which concluded on Sunday at the Zelena Laguna Resort in Porec, Croatia.

Bommarito won her U.S. record ninth Beach World Series individual gold medal. That includes two gold medals in 2023, four in 2024, two in 2025, and one so far in 2026. Only one other American Beach wrestler has ever won an individual gold medal at a Beach World Series stop, Justin Benjamin, who claimed a men’s 70 kg gold medal in Acapulco, Mexico in 2024.

Bommarito has been declared World champion for three straight years (2023, 2024, 2025) after scoring the most points in her weight class during the Beach World Series events each of those seasons. Her victory in Porec today gives her valuable points leading into the final three Beach World Series events of 2026.

On Sunday morning, Bommarito won two matches, defeating Angelique Gonzalez of France, 3-0 in 1:55 and Daria Konstanynova of Ukraine, 3-1 in 2:20. She clinched the gold medal in the morning session, as she received a bye in the afternoon session. On Saturday, Bommarito scored a pair of pins, beating Stefania Zacheila of Greece in 49 seconds and Sadie Evans of the United States in 50 seconds.

Bommarito has also been very successful in mat wrestling. She was a multiple-time Michigan state high school champion and a two-time Junior Nationals freestyle champion. She claimed a pair of NJCAA junior college national titles for Indian Hills CC and competed last year for King University.

Two other U.S. athletes completed their competition on Sunday, with Keenan Graef placing fifth in men’s 80 kg and Evans placing fifth in women’s Over 90 kg.

Graef lost his only bout on Saturday morning, falling to Vusal Aliyev of Azerbaijan, 3-0 in 1:40. Graef finished with a 1-2 record in Group A, which placed him third in the Group. Only the top two wrestlers from Group A were able to advance to the semifinals. Graef finished the event with an overall 3-2 record, including two victories in a knockout series on Saturday over Antonio Bahtovic of Croatia.

Evans wrestled three times on Sunday, dropping matches to Stefania Zacheila of Greece, Angelique Gonzalez of France and Daria Konstanynova of Ukraine. Her only match on Saturday was the loss to Bommarito. A 2024 U17 Beach World bronze medalist, Evans usually competes at 70 kg.

This was the second stop of the five-event Senior Beach World Series for 2026. The final three will be in Batumi, Georgia (June 20-21), Baku, Azerbaijan (August 28-29) and the Beach World Series Final in Katerini, Greece (September 26-27).

2026 Beach World Series Porec 

At Porec, Croatia, May 31 

Women's Beach Medalists 

50 kg 

Gold - Ana Maria Rotaru (Romania)

Silver - Viktoriia Slobodeniuk (Ukraine)

Bronze - Diana Rysova (Ukraine)

60 kg 

Gold - Oksana Moskalova (Ukraine)

Silver - Sofiia Kushnir (Ukraine)

Bronze - Nogona Bakayoko (Ivory Coast)

70 kg 

Gold - Olena Nikitinska (Ukraine)

Silver - Masa Perovic (Serbia)

Bronze - Halyna Oleksiivska (Ukraine)

Over 70 kg 

Gold - Eliana Bommarito (USA)

Silver - Daria Konstantynova (Ukraine)

Bronze - Angelique Gonzalez (France)

Men's Beach Medalists 

70 kg  

Gold - Oleksii Boruta (Ukraine)

Silver - Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia)

Bronze - Ivan Semenov (Ukraine)  

80 kg 

Gold - Luka Chkhitunidze (Georgia)

Silver - Sahib Dadashov (Azerbaijan)

Bronze - Vusal Aliyev (Azerbaijan)

90 kg 

Gold - Iuza Tsertsvadze (Georgia)

Silver - Oleksii Yakovchuk (Ukraine)

Bronze - Evsem Shvelidze (Georgia)

Over 90 kg 

Gold - Mamuka Kordzaia (Georgia)

Silver - Vazha Daiauri (Ukraine)

Bronze - Mykola Kuchmii (Ukraine)

U.S. Women’s Beach Results  

+70 kg – Sadie Evans, Belfair, Wash., 5th place

LOSS Eliana Bommarito (USA), pin 0:50

LOSS Stefania Zacheila (Greece), pin 1:28

LOSS Angelique Gonzalez (France), pin 0:22

LOSS Daria Konstanynova (Ukraine), 3-0, 0:27

+70 kg: Elianna Bommarito, Brighton, Mich., gold medal   

WIN Stefania Zacheila (Greece), pin 0:49

WIN Sadie Evans (USA), pin 0:50

WIN Angelique Gonzalez (France), 3-0, 1:55

WIN Daria Konstanynova (Ukraine), 3-1, 2:20

U.S. Men’s Beach Results 

80 kg – Keenan Graef, Overland Park, Kansas, 5th place

Knockout – WIN Antonio Bahtovic (Croatia), 3-0, 0:26

Knockout – WIN Antonio Bahtovic (Croatia), 3-0, 0:23

LOSS Christos Christoforidis (Greece), pin 1:17

WIN Miljan Rajic (Serbia), 3-0, 0:43

LOSS Vusal Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 3-0, 1:40