A bronze medal in the 62 kg category at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris solidified Grace Bullen's standing as a major competitor in international freestyle wrestling. Born in 1997 in a refugee camp in Ghinda, Eritrea, to South Sudanese parents, she relocated to Fredrikstad, Norway, in 2001, where she began her training at the Atlas martial arts club.
Early Career and Youth Success
Bullen established her potential on the international stage at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, securing a gold medal in the girls' 60 kg event by defeating Pei Xingru. Her progression continued with a bronze medal at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she overcame a first-round loss to Emese Barka to defeat Irina Netreba in the bronze medal match. During this period, she also dominated junior levels, achieving three European junior titles between 2015 and 2017.
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The wrestler captured her first senior European title in 2017 in Novi Sad, Serbia, following a silver medal performance the previous year in Riga, Latvia. Her senior gold streak expanded to include titles in 2020 at Rome, Italy, and 2024 at Bucharest, Romania, before adding a 2025 European gold in the 65 kg category in Bratislava, Slovakia. While she experienced mixed results at various World Wrestling Championships—including a silver medal in 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia—she consistently maintained a presence in the senior rankings throughout the decade.
Olympic and International Milestones
The path to the 2024 Olympics involved overcoming significant challenges, including unsuccessful qualification attempts for the Tokyo 2020 Games. After qualifying by earning a quota place at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, she successfully navigated the 2024 Paris tournament, defeating Ana Godinez of Canada to earn her bronze medal. These accomplishments reflect a career spanning multiple weight classes, from the 57 kg and 58 kg divisions to her successful transition into the 62 kg and 65 kg brackets.
Fast facts
- Born: 1997, Ghinda
- Citizenship: Norway, South Sudan
- Early Club: Atlas, Fredrikstad
- 2014 Youth Olympic Gold: 60 kg
- 2024 Olympic Medal: Bronze, 62 kg
- European Championship Titles: 2017, 2020, 2024, 2025
- 2018 World U23 Gold: 59 kg
Questions readers ask
What is Grace Bullen's nationality?
She holds citizenship in both Norway and South Sudan.
When did she start wrestling?
Bullen began wrestling at the age of four at the Atlas club in Fredrikstad, Norway.
Achievements
- Represented BK Atlas
- Competed at Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2022, 2022 World Wrestling Championships – Women's freestyle 59 kg and 2023 Grand Prix Zagreb Open
- Discipline: wrestling and freestyle wrestling
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