Ali Bernard

Who is Ali Bernard?

Ali Bernard is a female wrestler who earned a bye in women's freestyle wrestling qualifying her to compete against 2004 bronze medal-winner Katie Downing, whom she defeated in two matches at the 2008 qualifying match in Las Vegas; that feat earned her a spot to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, competing for the United States. She competed in the freestyle 72 kg/158.5 lbs class, because Greco-Roman-style is not yet an Olympic sport for women.

Bernard defeated Nigeria's Amarachi Obiajunwa, then lost to China's Wang Jiao which put her in the repechage competition for a bronze medal. In those matches, she defeated Sweden's Jenny Frannson before losing to Japan's Kyoko Hamaguchi, placing fourth in her class.

Wrestling Greco-Roman-style in high school at New Ulm High School, she earned the Minnesota state high school championship in 2004. Bernard received a college scholarship to compete in women's wrestling at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, where she won four national college titles.

Bernard originally lost to Stephany Lee at the 2012 Olympic trials. Lee later tested positive for marijuana and Bernard was awarded the spot.