A group of four U.S. Senior athletes traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the FISU World University Championship Beach Sports event last week. This multi-sport event featured Beach Wrestling, Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, and Beach Handball. The U.S. contingent returned with impressive results, including three individual medals and one gold.
Tyson Beauperthuy Captures Gold in Men’s Beach Wrestling
Tyson Beauperthuy of Colorado won 90 kg in men’s Beach Wrestling, winning all three of his matches by dominance. Beauperthuy outscored his opponents 9-1, with all three of his bouts ending in under 1:07. Included in his victories was a dominant 3-1 decision over eventual runner-up Pedro Goncalves da Silva of Brazil.
Beauperthuy’s performance is the continuation of his success this year. He won a gold medal in the Senior division in the 2023 U.S. Beach Nationals. He also captured a bronze medal in the 2023 Beach World Series stop in Constanta, Romania. The gold medal in Brazil certainly underlines his position among the leading performers in Beach Wrestling.
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U.S. Athletes Win Additional Medals At FISU
In the women’s Beach Wrestling competition, Wisconsin’s Katelyn Lewis captured a silver medal at 70 kg. Lewis finished the round-robin competition with a record of 1-1. Her first match was a come-from-behind 3-2 decision over Mayra Rodrigues Fantin of Brazil. Though she had that great comeback, Lewis was the second-place finisher in her weight class.
New Yorker Wayne LaMont captured a bronze medal at 80 kg in men’s competition. LaMont concluded with a 2-1 record in his round-robin matches. With no wrestlers coming through undefeated, LaMont took the bronze because of tie-breaking procedures. His effort added to the medal count for the U.S. team.
The men’s division medalist at 90 kg in fourth place was New York’s Jaimeson Shea, who did not podium.
Thoughts From Coach Gabe Beauperthuy
The U.S. was coached by Colorado’s Gabe Beauperthuy. A long-time competitor and coach in Associated Styles, Beauperthuy is a past U.S. Senior Beach Nationals champion. He was thankful and proud of his performances.
The athletes were great, a pleasure to be with,” said the ebullient Coach Beauperthuy. “I am very grateful for having the opportunity to be with them. They made the trip enjoyable, and I am proud of their results. I think they learned a lot about camaraderie and enjoying life.
It showed the skill and dedication of the U.S. delegation that attended the FISU World University Beach event. All successes can be attributed to individual excellence tempered with strong teamwork. This experience in Rio will spur on any future success at the international level.
