Timmy Box was the lone American in the men's division of the Odessa Beach Wrestling World Series, but the former NCAA national qualifier for the Northern Colorado Bears made the most of his trip. The California native won all three of his matches in pool play and a semifinal match before falling just shy of the title in the finals match. 

Box entered the 70 kg weight class, the deepest division at the Black Seashore event. American Diana Betanzo also entered the tournament in the women's 70+ kg division but was unable to win a match. You can read more about the event on Team USA's 2019 Beach Blog.

You can follow Timmy's run to the finals in the videos below.

Round 1 vs M. MALE (NOR)

Things started a little dicey for Box, as his first opponent nearly countered a go-behind with a roll-through back exposure. Any back exposure is worth three points, and three points is enough for a tech-fall; however, following a referee's conference, the sequence was ruled to have been just one point for the Norwegian. 

Box then got a clean suplex at the boundary line for the win. 

Round 2 vs V. STROEM (NOR)

Box dispatched his second consecutive Norwegian with a string of snap-downs. Staying true to his folkstyle roots, Box covered for the takedown in every score despite the effort being unnecessary in beach wrestling. Once you hit the sand with a supporting point other than your feet, you concede the point, although going to one knee (but not two) during an attack is allowed.

Round 3 vs E. BARTH (NOR)

Another Norwegian stepped into the sandy circle in round three, and once again it was Box who prevailed. Barth had no answer for American. A perfectly timed hip toss by the boundary line earned Box the bonus-point win.

Semifinal vs Y. MURADYAN (UKR)

Having exhausted the supply of 70-kilo Norwegians in the resort town of Odessa, Box turned his attention to a local Ukranian in the semifinals. A step out and two single-leg takedowns allowed Box to cruise into the finals with a 3-0 victory. 

Gold Medal Match vs S. RADULOV (UKR)

Box faced his most credentialed opponent in the finals, another Ukrainian in Semyon Radulov, who has represented Ukraine at the senior world championships in freestyle multiple times. Radulov proved too much for Box, who used snapdowns of his own to race to a 2-0 lead. 

Box countered with a power double on the edge, but after another restart it Radulov with a final snap down to claim the gold. 

A silver medal from Odessa means Timmy Box can now claim to be one of the most versatile wrestlers in America. Besides his folkstyle medals from his time at Northern Colorado and CSU-Bakersfield before that, Box was also a Fargo All-American in both Greco-Roman and freestyle. 

The UWW Beach Wrestling World Series wraps up this season with the World Championships September 6-7 in Zagreb, Croatia. See you then!