– Obviously we’re aware of that. Norway didn’t work hard enough for Grace. We set up the entire system ourselves. If we had followed their plan, there would be no WC gold, manager David Garcia tells NRK.
As a national team athlete, Bollen has never reached a World Cup final before. She took the European Championship gold, and the silver and European Championship gold from the U23 WC, but she’s never really succeeded in a training session – until now.
This happens after Pauline broke up with the national team and moved to Georgia.
It was no surprise to the manager.
Support: David Garcia has served as Bullen’s principal for many years.
Photo: PRIVATE / David Garcia
– Of course, there is a connection. Norway did not want to ease the preconditions. Garcia says she relies on world class coaches and sparring partners, and Norway can’t provide that.
Realized the potential
In July, Pauline shared the news that she was leaving the Norwegian national wrestling team to be tracked by Georgia. It happened after she was left as the only player and without a coach.
The proposals made by the national team were not good enough for Pauline.
– The association did not make me an offer that could lead to results. They made offers, but none of them were good enough for me. Bolin added that they support me financially if I go to the polls, but in terms of training they cannot support me NRK earlier this year.
Ready: Bullen from Serbia on Thursday morning, a few hours before the biggest highlight of her career.
Photo: private
NRK has not been in contact with Bullen due to consideration of the final match later on Thursday.
Therefore, the manager believes that a potential WC gold will come with a later taste, considering the date.
Norway has a long-term plan for young wrestlers in the next 10 to 15 years, which is great, but for Grace, who is competing for WC and Olympic gold, it wasn’t perfect, Garcia says.
He says the best players in the world want to train with Grace, and that choosing to leave Norway showed her full potential.
The potential is fully revealed. If you want to take care of the few talents you have, reach out to her. Norway couldn’t do that. They try, but the truth is different, he says.
Movement: Bullen’s got a new training set to compete with.
Photo: private
– Single
On Thursday, Pauline was in her first World Cup final and could thus repeat the feat of her former coach, Gudrun Hoy, in 1998. She then won WC gold for Norway, which is currently the last gold held by Norwegian wrestlers.
The last time Norway won a women’s medal in the water cycle was by Lina Anis in 2005. She won a bronze medal.
Bullen meets Anastasia Nichita from Moldova, and you can watch the final itself on NRK 2, or at NRK . TVFrom 6 pm
Watch the Pauline semi-finals here.
Regardless of the outcome, Pauline and Garcia will enjoy the win.
We’ll enjoy the journey we’ve had in the past seven or eight months. It was very difficult and lonely. It was just Grace and I, along with the wonderful sponsors who basically funded Grace’s plan. Plus, the Georgia national wrestling team is lined up day and night for Grace, he says.
Support: Here is Bullen in the first round of the World Cup with her Georgian coach.
Photo: screenshot
exclusively positive
Morten Sundness, the general secretary of the Norwegian Wrestling Federation, is pleased that Pauline has finally reached the World Cup Final.
– It is exclusively positive that Grace is in the WC Final. We’ve been waiting for this for so many years, and it’s finally happening,” Sandnæs tells NRK.
– Manager David Garcia says they “feel it” when Grace now represents Norway in the final. Do you have a comment on that?
– I have no comment on that. He says they have to take care of it themselves.
He doesn’t see Pauline’s World Cup Final as a direct result of the union breach.
– We did not encounter any error in the assembly. She chose to stand outside the national team, and we support Grace in her choice. We continue to help her financially, and do what we can, he says.
Bullen receives, among other things, financial support from the Thon Association’s collaboration partner, by virtue of being an ambassador for the Like Opportunity Value Project.
“Then you get direct and indirect support, which is more than some boys, for both coaches and accommodations from the association and Olympians,” Sandnaz told Previously for NRK.
Sports director Erik Ronstad will not comment on the case. He’s based in Belgrade, Serbia, and he’s following Pollen.
Now focused on sports and Grace’s preparations for tonight’s final, he writes in an SMS to NRK.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
