Grace Bullen suffered a dramatic loss to Canadian Linda Morais in the qualifying round in the 59-kilo category on Wednesday.
It made oxygen, so much oxygen that Bullen disappeared directly into the locker room after the defeat.
– What happened in your head, purely emotional?
– Sorry, I’m not a person used to so much control around wrestling. Usually it’s just me and the coaching staff. Out of habit I left, but I’m here now, said Bullen.
There was a slight hope that Bullen would get another chance through requalification, but then Linda Morais had to make it all the way to the final. The Canadian reached the quarter-finals against the Indian Sarita Sarita, and therefore Bullen is also out of the World Cup.
The king saw the battle
However, it was a special detail that made Grace Bullen smile when she finally met the pressure after the game.
– There is a special guest here today, do you know who it is?
– Yes, it was probably the king. My God, does he watch wrestling? It’s actually quite large. I’m getting stupid just hearing he’s here, Bullen told NRK.
She is informed that King Harald has been fighting for two years in the army. It seems that Bullen is particularly cool.
– Maybe I need another trainer? Maybe he’ll follow me to the carpet, she smiles.
King Harald came to the Jordal Amphitheater on Wednesday morning to see Grace Bull break down. He will also come on Saturday October 8 to see Stig André Berge in action.
Here the king sits in the stands and watches.
King Harald leaving the Jordal amphitheatre, after speaking to Bullen.
didn’t breathe
The bull starts his fight very well. At one point, she was leading 10–3.
– Looks like it was on, and it’s absolutely spectacular to watch when it works, NRK wrestling expert Mats Ravnanger Rolfsen says of the match.
Towards the end of the period, Bullen lost the top lead and at one point the referee had to stop the game, as she could not breathe.
– I was prepared for a difficult match, but I like to attack and that’s how I manage to keep control. This time it didn’t work out for me, Bullen told NRK.
It was a drop pressure that the Canadian used to put the Bull out of play, explains coach Jenny Aardalen. This pressure drained Bullen for strength.
– She gets pressure in the chest after the pressure drop. It’s a completely unbelievable pressure for foreigners to understand. You embrace what you can. There is no incoming oxygen. Either you pass out or one of the match shots, Aardalen tells NRK.
FALL PRESS: Linda Morais presses Bullen’s shoulder to the ground. This puts a lot of pressure on the chest.
Photo: Terje Bendiksby/NTB
Working with anger management
Bullen isn’t angry with the result, but she had hoped for more. She has been working towards the World Cup for many months and she is so focused that no one has been allowed to disturb her as it approaches.
– How did you feel after the defeat?
– There is little anger in my head. I feel like I did what I could out of the fight. I learned not to get angry with the oars. The goal was to feel that I had nothing more to give, even if it was tactically much more than I could have done, concludes Bullen to NRK.
Thus, all Norwegian wrestlers are excluded from the World Cup, but there is more cake. On Thursday, the gentlemen will be on fire, and here you can get a full rundown of the campaigns:
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