Over the course of two days, athletes from four continents competed fiercely, with several nations claiming gold medals early on to kick off their World Series campaigns in style.

Oleksii Boruta secured Ukraine the men’s 70 kg gold medal with a composed victory over Konstantin Topshinoev (UWW) in the final. Boruta had appeared dominant throughout the competition, advancing through the group stages before overcoming Quentin Sticker of France in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Rubail Ibrahimli claimed bronze after overcoming Sticker in the third-place play-off.

Georgia took top honours in the men’s 80 kg category thanks to Luka Chkhitunidze, who remained undefeated throughout the tournament, beating Azerbaijan’s Sahib Dadashov in the gold medal match. Chkhitunidze impressed throughout the weekend with several rapid victories, ultimately defeating Serbia’s Miljan Rajic in the semi-finals. France’s Hugo Cuenot completed the podium with bronze.

The men’s 90 kg division produced some of the most explosive wrestling of the weekend. Azerbaijan’s Ashraf Ashirov secured the gold medal by defeating Iuza Tsertsvadze of Georgia in the final. Tsertsvadze had produced one of the fastest victories of the tournament earlier, pinning Ukraine’s Oleksii Yakovchuk in just seven seconds in the semi-finals. Yakovchuk recovered to take bronze after defeating Greece’s Michail Akritidis.

In the men's +90 kg heavyweight category, Ukraine’s Vazha Daiauri emerged victorious after narrowly beating Georgia’s three-time world champion Mamuka Kordzaia in the final. Both athletes had dominated their respective groups before progressing through the semi-finals. Turkey’s Fatih Yasarli took the final bronze medal after beating Oleksandr Veresiuk of Ukraine.

Several standout performances were produced by Vietnam in the women’s categories in front of the home crowd.

In the 50 kg category, Ngoc Linh Do claimed gold by finishing top of the standings with three victories. Ana Maria Rotaru (ROU) took silver, and Thi Kim Oanh Doan (VIE) took bronze.

Oksana Moskalova of Ukraine won gold in the women’s 60 kg category, winning all four of her matches over the two days. She finished ahead of her compatriot Sofiia Kushnir, who won silver, and Thi My Hanh Nguyen of the host nation, who won bronze.

Thi Linh Dang also secured gold for Vietnam in the women’s 70 kg category, finishing ahead of Ukraine’s Olena Nikitinska after an impressive tournament. Dieu Thuong Lai of Vietnam added another medal for the hosts with bronze.

Greece’s Stefania Zacheila delivered one of the weekend's standout performances in the women’s +70 kg division, finishing unbeaten to secure gold. Thi Linh Nguyen of Vietnam took silver, while Thi Ninh To also added a podium finish for the host nation with bronze.

The Top Technique award for the Da Nang event was also decided by fan voting on Instagram. Ukraine’s Olena Nikitinska won the women’s award, while her compatriot Vazha Daiauri won the men’s award.

Across the two days in Da Nang, the opening event of the 2026 Beach Wrestling World Series once again showcased the sport's defining characteristics of speed, unpredictability, and physicality on the international stage.

Now that the first medals have been awarded and the early rankings are beginning to take shape, attention will soon turn to the next stop on the Beach Wrestling World Series calendar in Poreč, Croatia, where athletes will be looking to build momentum in the race for the 2026 World Championship titles.

Results Da Nang Beach Wrestling World Series
Women
50 kg
1- Ngoc Linh DO (VIE)
2- Ana Maria ROTARUO (ROU)
3- Thi Kim DOAN (VIE)

60 kg
1- Oksana MOSKALOVA (UKR)
2- Sofiia KUSCHNIR (UKR)
3- Thi My Trang NGYUEN (VIE)

70 kg
1- Thi Linh DANG (VIE)
2- Olena NIKITINSKA (UKR)
3- Dieu Thuong LAI (VIE)

+70 kg
1- Stefania ZACHEILA (GRE)
2– Thi Linh NGUYEN (VIE)
3- Thi Ninh TO (VIE)

Men
70 kg
1- Oleksii BORUTA (UKR)
2- Konstantin TOPSHINOEV (UWW)
3- Rubail IBRAHIMLI (AZE)

80 kg
1- Luka CHKHITUNIDZE (GEO)
2- Sahib DADASHOV (AZE)
3- Hugo CUENOT (FRA)

90 kg
1- Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
2- Iuza TSERTSVADZE (GEO)
3- Oleksii YAKOVCHUK (UKR)

+90 kg
1- Vazha DAIAURI (UKR)
2- Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO)
3- Fatih YASARLI (TUR)

Women’s Top Technique Winner – Olena Nikitinska (UKR), 70 kg
Men’s Top Technique Winner – Vazha Daiauri (UKR), +90 kg

Find the complete results here.