David Taylor (wrestler, born 1990)

David Morris Taylor III (born December 5, 1990) is an American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 86 kilograms.^[2] In 2021, Taylor became the 2020 Olympic gold medalist after defeating reigning Olympic and World Champion Hassan Yazdani, a feat he repeated from the 2018 World Championship where he stormed his way to the title.^[3][4] He later became the 2021 World Championship runner-up, after being defeated by Yazdani.^[5] Then, at the 2022 World Championships, he avenged that loss by defeating Yazdani once again to reclaim his world title.^[6]

David Taylor

Personal information
Full name	David Morris Taylor III
Nickname	Magic Man^[1]
Born	(1990-12-05) December 5, 1990 (age 33) Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Home town	St. Paris, Ohio, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Event	Folkstyle & Freestyle
College team	Penn State University
Club	Nittany Lion Wrestling Club
Coached by	Cael Sanderson
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing the  United States Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo 86 kg World Championships 2018 Budapest 86 kg 2022 Belgrade 86 kg 2023 Belgrade 86 kg 2021 Oslo 86 kg World Cup 2018 Iowa City Team 2017 Kermanshah Team Pan American Championships 2018 Lima 86 kg 2019 Buenos Aires 86 kg 2021 Guatemala 86 kg Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2018 Krasnoyarsk 86 kg World University Games 2013 Kazan 74 kg US Open Championships 2015 Las Vegas 74 kg 2017 Las Vegas 86 kg 2018 Las Vegas 86 kg 2013 Las Vegas 74 kg 2014 Las Vegas 74 kg 2015 Las Vegas (SN) 86 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships 2012 St. Louis 165 lb 2014 Oklahoma City 165 lb 2011 Philadelphia 157 lb 2013 Des Moines 165 lb Big Ten Championships 2011 Evanston 157 lb 2012 West Lafayette 165 lb 2013 Illinois 165 lb 2014 Madison 165 lb

One of the most accomplished Nittany Lions in the history of the Penn State program, Taylor was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion (four–time finalist), a four-time Big Ten Conference champion, and a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner during his collegiate years.^[7]

Folkstyle career

High school

Born in Reno, Nevada, Taylor attended Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. As a high schooler, Taylor became a four-time OHSAA state champion with an outstanding 180–2 record and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2009 as the nation's top high school wrestler.^[8][9]

College

During his time at Penn State (2009–2014), Taylor went on to become a two-time NCAA Division I national champion (four-time finalist), a four-time Big Ten Conference champion, and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner.^[7] After a perfect freshman year to that point, Taylor was pinned by Arizona State's Bubba Jenkins at the NCAA finals.^[10] As a sophomore, he moved up from 157 pounds (71 kg) to 165 lb (75 kg), winning the NCAA title and being named the best college wrestler in the US as the Dan Hodge Trophy winner with a 70–1 overall record.

As a junior, he faced Kyle Dake from Cornell in the NCAA finals, who moved up to attempt to become the third four-time NCAA champion and the first to win titles at four different weight classes in the history of the NCAA. After a back-and-forth battle, Taylor was defeated 5–4.^[11] As a senior, he once again had an undefeated campaign, claimed his second NCAA title, helped clinch the team title for the Nittany Lions, and became the third multiple-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner in history.^[12] Taylor graduated with 134 wins and three losses, 50 pins, 42 technical falls, and 29 major decisions.^[12]

Freestyle career

2010–2012

Taylor made his freestyle debut in April 2010, when he claimed a University US National title.^[13] In 2012, he competed at the US Olympic Team Trials, where he went 3–2.^[14]

2013–2014

In 2013, Taylor claimed runner-up honors at the US Open in April, defeating Nick Marable to reach the finals and then being downed by the defending Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs.^[15] After pinning '12 Junior World Champion Magomed Kurbanaliev from Russia at Beat the Streets,^[16] Taylor became a two-time US University National and made the US University World Team on May.^[17] At the '13 US World Team Trials Challenge of June, Taylor went 4–1 with a lone loss to four-time NCAA Division I National Kyle Dake to claim third-place.^[18] At the 2013 Summer Universiade, he claimed a bronze medal for the United States.^[19]

In 2014, last year's US Open results were repeated when Taylor fell to Jordan Burroughs, this rematch being much closer and forcing the now defending World Champion to come from behind to get the last minute comeback.^[20] After dominating the eventual '16 Olympic bronze medalist and at-the-time two-time World bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Jabrayil Hasanov at Beat the Streets, Taylor made the US World Team Trials finals, but was defeated twice in a row by Burroughs.^[21]

2015–2016

Now able to focus on freestyle full-time after graduating from college, Taylor opened up the 2015 year with a fifth-place finish at the Yasar Dogu, where he went 3–2.^[22] He then claimed his first US Open National title in May,^[23] followed up by a technical fall over Cuba's Liván López at Beat the Streets.^[24] In his fourth attempt to make the US World Team, Taylor was once again overpowered by Kyle Dake in the challenge tournament, but he came back and claimed the third place when he beat veteran Andrew Howe.^[25] Taylor then claimed Grand Prix of Spain and Stepan Sargsyan Cup gold medals in July,^[26][27] before making the decision to bulk up to the 86 kilogram division on September.^[28] Taylor took fifth-place at the Golden Grand Prix of November, and seemed overpowered in his first tournament at a new weight class.^[29] On December, Taylor competed at the US Senior Nationals, and after running through '14 US World Team member and teammate Ed Ruth,^[30] Taylor was defeated by long-time rival Kyle Dake.^[31]

In 2016, Taylor was unable to make the US Olympic Team, as he was defeated by Dake for the fifth time in the senior level, forcing Taylor to battle for the bronze medal, which he comfortably earned.^[32] He then claimed his second Spain Grand Prix title on July,^[33] and competed again at the World Clubs Cup of December, where he went 3-1 and helped TMWC reach the first-place, while also defeating the accomplished Alireza Karimi.^[34]

2017

In his first competition of the year, Taylor dominated the Grand Prix of Paris in January,^[35] and despite being initially banned by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,^[36] he competed at the World Cup in February in Iran.^[37] At the World Cup, he defeated four top-level opponents: '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Dato Marsagishvili in the first round (8-3), that year's World Championship bronze medalist Vladislav Valiev (TF 14–4), '12 Olympic Gold medalist Sharif Sharifov (TF 12–2), and '16 Olympic Gold medalist Hassan Yazdani (fall).^[38]

Taylor claimed his second US national title in April, with an overall score of 40–4 against five opponents.^[39] After a quick win at Beat the Streets,^[40] Taylor made the World Team Trials finals when he ran through '16 US OTT Greco-Roman champion Joe Rau and '12 Junior World Championship runner-up Pat Downey, and defeated three-time NCAA Division I All-American Nick Heflin to make the best-of-three, where he faced returning Olympic Bronze medalist J'den Cox.^[41] In the first match, Taylor rallied comfortably with a 9–3 win, but was closely defeated in the second match 4–3, leading to a controversial third bout due to Cox's sweat and alleged passivity, which caused Taylor to kick the challenge cube and his cornerman Cael Sanderson to throw items at the official and a chair onto the mat after losing 5–3.^[42][43]

He came back to competition at the World Clubs Cup on December, where he helped the TMWC to second place with notable victories over Alireza Karimi and Pawan Kumar.^[44]

2018

To start off the year, Taylor became only the 12th American to claim a gold medal at the Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix, considered the toughest open tournament in the world.^[45] He opened with a win over two-time (and defending) Pan American champion Yurieski Torreblanca, followed by Selim Yaşar on points and a fall over '17 Junior World Champion Artur Naifonov to make the finals. In the finals, he got another fall, this time over Fatih Erdin, to claim the gold medal.^[46] On April, he claimed his second consecutive World Cup championship, recording four technical falls to help secure the gold medal for the United States.^[47][48] He also clinched his third US National title, with four victories over fellow Americans.^[49]

On May, he claimed his first Pan American title, with notable wins over Yurieski Torreblanca, Pool Ambrocio and Eduardo Gajardo.^[50] On his seventh attempt to make the US World/Olympic Team, Taylor finally and dominantly was able to punch tickets to the World Championships, when he defeated '18 Bill Farrell Memorial medalist Nick Reenan twice via technical fall on May, at Final X: State College.^[51] He then warmed up at the Yasar Dogu of July, with four dominant pins over foreigners.^[52]

At the World Championships, Taylor had a tough start, as he faced his biggest threat of the tournament in the first round, '16 Olympic Gold medalist and defending World champion Hassan Yazdani from Iran. After being down two points to six at the end of the first period, Taylor was able to overcome adversity and put on nine points on his side, finishing the legendary match 11–6.^[53] In the next round, he tech'd '18 Alexander Medved champion Hajy Rajabau from Belarus, to advance to the quarterfinals.^[54] Next, he picked apart the accomplished Cuban Yurieski Torreblanca, to pick up an 8–0 victory.^[55] In the semifinals, he had it harder, as he went to the distance against the '17 European Champion and Russia's best Dauren Kurugliev, but was able to score the comeback win 7–5.^[56] During the match, Taylor got briefly knocked out after Kurugliev accidentally wheel kicked him on the chin when escaping a single leg attempt by Taylor.^[57] In the finals, he dismantled Fatih Erdin from Turkey, overwhelming his opposition with 12 points to two, to claim the World Championship and help Team USA reach third place.^[58][59]

After the year was over, Taylor was named the UWW International Freestyle wrestler of the Year,^[60] and was awarded the John Smith Award winner as USA's Freestyle wrestler of the Year.^[61]

2019–2020

After time off competition, the returning World Champion came back in April 2019, when he claimed his second straight Pan American title, tournament in where he scored 34 points to none against his four opponents and Team USA claimed all ten medals in freestyle.^[62] On May, he competed at the annual Beat the Streets for charity, against Drew Foster, where he suffered a severe knee injury which led him to forfeit out of the match, and ultimately, forced him to stay inactive during the whole year, missing the opportunity to make his second US World Team (forfeiting it to Pat Downey instead, whom he had tech'd twice), to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games or to defend his title at the World Championships.^[63][64][65]

After almost a full year of no competition, Taylor came back to wrestle in March 2020, at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament.^[66] He comfortably got three wins to win the bracket and internationally qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics.^[67] Taylor was then scheduled to compete at the US Olympic Team Trials on April 4 at State College, Pennsylvania, where he was a heavy favorite.^[68] However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete.^[69]

Taylor was unable to compete for a couple of months due to the pandemic, but was scheduled to wrestle Pat Downey (whom he was unable to wrestle at the '19 US World Trials) on July 25, at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo.^[70] After Downey pulled out of the bout due to problems with the organization, Taylor wrestled and tech'd the accomplished Myles Martin.^[71] After more months of inactiveness, Taylor defeated two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean by points on November 24, at the NLWC III.^[72]

2021

To start the year, Taylor was scheduled to face his former rival and five-time World and Olympic champion (at 74 kg) Jordan Burroughs, at 86 kilos, on January 9, while headlining FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor.^[73] However, it was announced on January 8 that Taylor was unable to travel to Austin, Texas due to COVID-19 restrictions and the bout was subsequently postponed for four days later and changed its location for Lincoln, Nebraska, thus moving to a different card also named FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor.^[74] After a 4–0 lead for Taylor in the first period, Burroughs rallied late to score four points of his own, but was unable to secure the victory as Taylor had criteria, defeating Burroughs for the first time in five matches.^[75] Taylor was also scheduled to compete at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane on January 16,^[76] but was not able to travel due to the postponement of his match against Burroughs.^[77]

During April 2 to 3, Taylor competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials as the heavy favorite and top–seed.^[78] After cleaning out All–American Brett Pfarr in the quarterfinal round,^[79] Taylor flawlessly knocked off reigning US National champion Gabe Dean in a rematch from their match at the NLWC III, advancing to the best–of–three finals.^[80] In the finale, Taylor faced reigning U23 World Champion and Penn State legend Bo Nickal, whom he is close with as a friend and teammate at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. He defeated Nickal twice and did not allow him to score any points while scoring ten combined points of his own, becoming the US Olympic Team Member at 86 kilograms, and qualifying him to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.^[81] In regards to his close relationship with Nickal, Taylor then stated:

"It was a weird emotion," Taylor said. "We had a discussion leading up to it, and we have such a deep room in the wrestling club, especially at 86 kilos, so we're challenged every single day and none of us would be where we are without each other. Bo's amazing, and I wouldn't be where I am without Bo."^[82]

As a result, Taylor also competed at the Pan American Continental Championships on May 30.^[83] Taylor racked up 30 points against his three opponents while not getting scored on to claim the crown and help the USA reach all 10 freestyle medals.^[84]

 

Taylor wrestling Hassan Yazdani in the Olympic finale.

On August 4, Taylor competed in the first date of men's freestyle 86 kg of the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he looked dominant enough to score technical falls over all of his three opponents on his way to the finals; four-time World Championship medalist Ali Shabanau from Belarus, '20 European Championship runner-up Myles Amine from San Marino and defending World silver medalist Deepak Punia from India.^[85] On the other side of the finale awaited rival and reigning Olympic and World Champion Hassan Yazdani from Iran, Taylor meeting him in a rubber match on August 5 after downing him twice earlier in his career.^[86] Down 0–2 to a step-out and a passivity point in the second period, Taylor scored the first takedown to tie it up, though Yazdani scored another step-out to make it 2–3 on his favor, before being blasted by Taylor for two points late in the match, resulting in the stunning upset comeback win, shocking the world as the underdog going into the match. This result gained Taylor the 2020 Summer Olympic Games gold medal and extended his win-streak to 54 matches.^[87]

As an Olympic medalist, Taylor earned the right to automatically represent the United States at the 2021 World Championships without having to compete domestically to make the US World Team, and did do so in October 2–3.^[88] On the first date, Taylor once again ran through his competition, dominating the likes of World Championship runner-ups Boris Makojev and Abubakr Abakarov to cruise to the finale.^[89] A fourth match with rival and reigning World Champion Hassan Yazdani took place in the finals, but this time the Iranian came up on top for the first time, nullifying Taylor and snapping his 57-match win streak, marking the series 3–1 in favor of Taylor and the latter leaving with a silver medal.^[5]

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event	Location
2024 US Olympic Team Trials   at 86 kg
Loss	152–21	Aaron Brooks	1–3	April 20, 2024	2024 US Olympic Team Trials	State College, Pennsylvania
Loss	152–20	Aaron Brooks	1–4
2023 World Championships   at 86 kg
Win	152–19	Hassan Yazdani	Fall	September 17, 2023	2023 World Championships	Belgrade, Serbia
Win	151–19	Azamat Dauletbekov	Fall	September 16, 2023
Win	150–19	Magomed Sharipov	TF 12–2
Win	149–19	Benjamin Greil	TF 10–0
Win	148–19	Sofiane Padiou Belmir	Fall
2023 US World Team Trials   at 86 kg
Win	147–19	Aaron Brooks	5–4	June 10, 2023	2023 Final X Newark	Newark, New Jersey
Win	146–19	Aaron Brooks	6–0
2022 World Championships   at 86 kg
Win	145–19	Hassan Yazdani	7-1	September 16, 2022	2022 World Championships	Belgrade, Serbia
Win	144–19	Azamat Dauletbekov	TF 12–0	September 15, 2022
Win	143–19	Ethan Ramos	TF 11–0
Win	142–19	Aron Caneva	TF 10–0
2022 US World Team Trials   at 86 kg
Win	141–19	Zahid Valencia	TF 10–0	June 8, 2022	2022 Final X NYC	New York City, New York
Win	140–19	Zahid Valencia	4–2
2021 World Championships   at 86 kg
Loss	139–19	Hassan Yazdani	2–6	October 3, 2021	2021 World Championships	Oslo, Norway
Win	139–18	Abubakr Abakarov	Fall	October 2, 2021
Win	138–18	Akhmed Aibuev	Fall
Win	137–18	Boris Makojev	TF 11–0
2020 Summer Olympics   at 86 kg
Win	136–18	Hassan Yazdani	4–3	August 5, 2021	2020 Summer Olympics	Tokyo, Japan
Win	135–18	Deepak Punia	TF 10–0	August 4, 2021
Win	134–18	Myles Amine	TF 12–2
Win	133–18	Ali Shabanau	TF 11–0
2021 Pan American Championships   at 86 kg
Win	132–18	Clayton Pye	TF 10–0	May 30, 2021	2021 Pan American Continental Championships	Guatemala City, Guatemala
Win	131–18	Juan Sebastián Rivera	TF 10–0
Win	130–18	Noel Alfonso Torres	TF 10–0
2020 US Olympic Team Trials   at 86 kg
Win	129–18	Bo Nickal	6–0	April 2–3, 2021	2020 US Olympic Team Trials	Fort Worth, Texas
Win	128–18	Bo Nickal	4–0
Win	127–18	Gabe Dean	4–0
Win	126–18	Brett Pfarr	TF 11–0
Win	125–18	Jordan Burroughs	4–4	January 13, 2021	FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor	Lincoln, Nebraska
Win	124–18	Gabe Dean	6–2	November 24, 2020	NLWC III	State College, Pennsylvania
Win	123–18	Myles Martin	TF 11–0	July 25, 2020	FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo	Austin, Texas
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament   at 86 kg
Win	122–18	Pool Ambrocio	FF	March 15, 2020	2020 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament	Ottawa, Canada
Win	121–18	Yurieski Torreblanca	8–0
Win	120–18	Pedro Ceballos	Fall
2019 Pan American Championships   at 86 kg
Win	119–18	Pedro Ceballos	TF 10–0	April 19–21, 2019	2019 Pan American Continental Championships	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win	118–18	Lazaro Hernandez	TF 10–0
Win	117–18	Meruzhan Nikoyan	6–0
Win	116–18	Rashji Mackey	8–0
2018 World Championships   at 86 kg
Win	115–18	Fatih Erdin	TF 12–2	October 20–21, 2018	2018 World Championships	Budapest, Hungary
Win	114–18	Dauren Kurugliev	7–5
Win	113–18	Yurieski Torreblanca	8–0
Win	112–18	Hajy Rajabau	TF 10–0
Win	111–18	Hassan Yazdani	11–6
2018 Yaşar Doğu International   at 86 kg
Win	110–18	Murad Suleymanov	Fall	July 27–29, 2018	2018 Yaşar Doğu International	Istanbul, Turkey
Win	109–18	Ahmet Bilici	Fall
Win	108–18	Boris Makojev	Fall
Win	107–18	Azamat Dauletbekow	Fall
2018 US World Team Trials   at 86 kg
Win	106–18	Nick Reenan	TF 12–0	June 15–16, 2018	2018 Final X: State College	State College, Pennsylvania
Win	105–18	Nick Reenan	TF 13–2
2018 Pan American Championships   at 86 kg
Win	104–18	Yurieski Torreblanca	3–2	May 3–6, 2018	2018 Pan American Continental Championships	Lima, Peru
Win	103–18	Julio Rodriguez Romero	3–0
Win	102–18	Pool Ambrocio	TF 11–0
Win	101–18	Eduardo Gajardo	TF 12–2
2018 US Open   at 86 kg
Win	100–18	Richard Perry	8–0	April 24–28, 2018	2018 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	99–18	T.J. Dudley	TF 12–2
Win	98–18	Noe Garcia	2–0
Win	97–18	Austin Coburn	TF 10–0
Win	96–18	Evan Hansen	TF 10–0
2018 World Cup   at 86 kg
Win	95–18	Aleksandr Gostiyev	TF 12–2	April 7, 2018	2018 World Cup	Iowa City, Iowa
Win	94–18	David Khutsishvili	TF 11–1
Win	93–18	Masao Matsusaka	TF 12–2
Win	92–18	Pawan Kumar	TF 10–0
2018 Ivan Yarygin Gran Prix   at 86 kg
Win	91–18	Fatih Erdin	Fall	January 28, 2018	Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2018	Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Win	90–18	Artur Naifonov	Fall
Win	89–18	Koloi Kartoev	4–1
Win	88–18	Yurieski Torreblanca	4–4
2017 World Clubs Cup   for TMWC at 86 kg
Win	87–18	Alireza Karimi	3–1	December 7–8, 2017	2017 World Clubs Cup	Tehran, Iran
Win	86–18	Gankhuyag Ganbaatar	Fall
Win	85–18	Petar Savakov	4–0
Win	84–18	Pawan Kumar	TF 10–0
Win	83–18	Alexander Moore	TF 14–4
2017 US World Team Trials   at 86 kg
Loss	82–18	J'den Cox	3–5	June 9–10, 2017	2017 US World Team Trials	Lincoln, Nebraska
Loss	82–17	J'den Cox	3–4
Win	82–16	J'den Cox	9–3
Win	81–16	Nick Heflin	13–9		2017 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
Win	80–16	Pat Downey	TF 10–0
Win	79–16	Joe Rau	TF 13–0
Win	78–16	Takahiro Murayama	Fall	May 17, 2017	2017 Beat The Streets: Times Square	New York City, New York
2017 US Open   at 86 kg
Win	77–16	Richard Perry	TF 10–0	April 26–29, 2017	2017 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	76–16	Nick Heflin	TF 15–4
Win	75–16	Pat Downey	TF 10–0
Win	74–16	Chance McClure	TF 10–0
Win	73–16	Anthony Cress	5–0
2017 World Cup   at 86 kg
Win	72–16	Hassan Yazdani	Fall	February 16–17, 2017	2017 World Cup	Kermanshah, Iran
Win	71–16	Sharif Sharifov	TF 12–2
Win	70–16	Vladislav Valiev	TF 14–4
Win	69–16	Dato Marsagishvili	8–3
2017 Paris Grand Prix   at 86 kg
Win	68–16	Richard Perry	8–5	January 28–29, 2017	2017 International Paris Grand Prix	Paris, France
Win	67–16	Akhmed Aibuev	TF 12–2
Win	66–16	István Veréb	TF 10–0
Win	65–16	Mihaly Nagy	TF 10–0
2016 World Clubs Cup   for TMWC at 86 kg
Win	64–16	Alireza Karimi	12–6	November 30 – December 1, 2016	2016 World Clubs Cup	Kharkiv, Ukraine
Win	63–16	Bohdan Hrytsay	TF 19–6
Loss	62–16	Dmytro Rochniak	2–6
Win	62–15	Nika Kentchadze	Fall
2016 Spain Grand Prix   at 86 kg
Win	61–15	István Veréb	8–6	July 9–10, 2016	2016 Grand Prix of Spain	Madrid, Spain
Win	60–15	Orgodolyn Üitümen	14–7
Win	59–15	Anthony Valencia	10–3
Win	58–15	Vahid Shahmohammadiizad	6–2
2016 US Olympic Team Trials   at 86 kg
Win	57–15	Andrew Howe	5–2	April 8–10, 2016	2016 US Olympic Team Trials	Iowa City, Iowa
Loss	56–15	Kyle Dake	4–11
Win	56–14	Austin Trotman	5–2
2015 US Nationals   at 86 kg
Loss	55–14	Kyle Dake	4–11	December 18–19, 2015	2015 US Nationals – US Olympic Trials Qualifier	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	55–13	Richard Perry	TF 11–0
Win	54–13	Ed Ruth	TF 13–0
2015 Golden Grand Prix 5th at 86 kg
Loss	53–13	Ehsan Lashgari	TF 0–10	November 27–29, 2015	2015 Golden Grand Prix	Baku, Azerbaijan
Loss	53–12	Gardiiyev Nurmagomed	0–6
Win	53–11	Umidjon Ismanov	8–4
2015 Stepan Sargsyan Cup   at 74 kg
Win	52–11	Kakhaber Khubezhty	TF 12–2	July 18–19, 2015	2015 Stepan Sargsyan Tournament	Yerevan, Armenia
Win	51–11	Giya Chikhladze	Fall
Win	50–11	Ruslan Rubaev	Fall
2015 Spain Grand Prix   at 74 kg
Win	49–11	Carmelo Lumia	12–6	July 11, 2015	2015 Grand Prix of Spain	Madrid, Spain
Win	48–11	Zhang Chongyao	9–1
Win	47–11	Gong Byung Min	10–1
Win	46–11	Rafael Mota	TF 13–0
2015 US World Team Trials   at 74 kg
Win	45–11	Andrew Howe	6–0	June 12–14, 2015	2015 US World Team Trials Challenge	Madison, Wisconsin
Loss	44–11	Kyle Dake	2–8
Win	44–10	Tyler Caldwell	5–2
Win	43–10	Liván López	TF 18–7	May 12, 2015	2015 Beat The Streets: Salsa in the Square	New York City, New York
2015 US Open   at 74 kg
Win	42–10	Andre Howe	2–0	May 5–9, 2015	2015 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	41–10	Tyler Caldwell	TF 12–2
Win	40–10	Nestor Tafur	TF 10–0
Win	39–10	Jacob Butenhoff	Fall
2015 Grand Prix Yaşar Doğu 5th at 74 kg
Loss	38–10	Khetag Tsabolov	3–9	March 28–29, 2015	2015 Grand Prix Yaşar Doğu	Istanbul, Turkey
Loss	38–9	Denis Tsargush	3–6
Win	38–8	Bahman Teymouri	Fall
Win	37–8	Abdullah Arslan	12–4
Win	36–8	Marad Zoidze	6–5
2014 US World Team Trials   at 74 kg
Loss	35–8	Jordan Burroughs	5–6	May 30–31, 2014	2014 US World Team Trials	Madison, Wisconsin
Loss	35–7	Jordan Burroughs	2–6
Win	35–6	Andre Howe	3–1		2014 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
Win	34–6	Quinton Godley	TF 10–0
Win	33–6	Jabrayil Hasanov	6–0	May 7, 2014	2014 Beat The Streets: USA vs. The World	New York City, New York
2014 US Open   at 74 kg
Loss	32–6	Jordan Burroughs	6–7	April 16–19, 2014	2014 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	32–5	Tyler Caldwell	6–0
Win	31–5	Paul Rademacher	Fall
Win	30–5	Marcus Bausaman	TF 13–0
2013 Universidae Games   at 74 kg
Win	29–5	Gombodorj Dorjvaanchig	10–3	July 11–16, 2013	2013 Summer Universiade	Kazan, Russia
Win	28–5	Reza Afzali Paemami	7–5
Loss	27–5	Denis Tsargush	4–7
Win	27–4	Apostolos Taskoudis	Fall
Win	26–4	Zurab Erbotsonashvili	8–4
2013 US World Team Trials   at 74 kg
Win	25–4	Andrew Howe	TF 9-–	June 20–22, 2013	2013 US World Team Trials Challenge	Stillwater, Oklahoma
Win	24–4	Trent Paulson	4–0
Win	23–4	Ryan Morningstar	4–2
Loss	22–4	Kyle Dake	4–7
Win	22–3	Moza Fay	TF 9–1
2013 US University Nationals   at 74 kg
Win	21–3	Quinton Godley	Fall	May 24–26, 2013	2013 US University National Championships	Akron, Ohio
Win	20–3	Quinton Godley	3–0
Win	19–3	Ian Miller	TF 14–4
Win	18–3	Logan Molina	Fall
Win	17–3	Geno Morelli	TF 13–3
Win	16–3	Jesse Stafford	Fall
Win	15–3	Robert Schlitt	TF 10–0
Win	14–3	Santonio Cathery	TF 11–0
Win	13–3	Magomed Kurbanaliev	Fall	May 15, 2013	2013 Beat The Streets: Rumble on the Rails	New York City, New York
2013 US Open   at 74 kg
Loss	12–3	Jordan Burroughs	1–3, 0–1	April 17–20, 2013	2013 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	12–2	Nick Marable	2–0, 4–0
Win	11–2	Ryan Morningstar	1–0, 1–0
Win	10–2	Holden Packard	TF 9–0, 7–0
2012 US Olympic Team Trials DNP at 74 kg
Loss	9–2	Kyle Dake	Fall	April 21, 2012	2012 US Olympic Team Trials	Iowa City, Iowa
Win	9–1	Colt Sponseller	2–0, 1–1, 4–2
Win	8–1	Mike Poeta	4–3, 3–1
Loss	7–1	Andrew Howe	0–1, 0–5
Win	7–0	Moza Fay	0–4, 5–3, 3–1
2010 US University Nationals   at 70 kg
Win	6–0	Matt Lester	3–0, 5–1	April 8–11, 2010	2010 US University National Championships	Akron, Ohio
Win	5–0	Dean Pavlou	TF 7–0, 6–0
Win	4–0	Seth Vernon	1–0, 4–3
Win	3–0	Matt Ballweg	2–1, 1–1, 3–1
Win	2–0	Timmy Boone	2–2, 3–0, 8–2
Win	1–0	Nathan Millman	TF 7–0, 6–0

NCAA record

NCAA Championships Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event
2014 NCAA Championships   at 165 lbs
Win	18-2	Tyler Caldwell	6-0	March 20–22, 2014	2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	17-2	Steve Monk	MD 13-5
Win	16-2	Michael Moreno	Fall
Win	15-2	Jim Wilson	Fall
Win	14-2	Joe Brewster	Fall
2013 NCAA Championships   at 165 lbs
Loss	13-2	Kyle Dake	4-5	March 21–23, 2013	2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	13-1	Peter Yates	Fall
Win	12-1	Conrad Polz	Fall
Win	11-1	Zachary Strickland	Fall
Win	10-1	John Staudenmayer	Fall
2012 NCAA Championships   at 165 lbs
Win	9-1	Brandon Hatchett	TF 22-7	March 15–17, 2012	2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	8-1	Bekzod Abdurakhmonov	Fall
Win	7-1	Robert Kokesh	Fall
Win	6-1	Brandon Wright	Fall
Win	5-1	Corey Lear	Fall
2011 NCAA Championships   at 157 lbs
Loss	4-1	Bubba Jenkins	Fall	March 17–20, 2011	2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	4-0	Steven Fittery	7-1
Win	3-0	Derek St. John	6-3
Win	2-0	David Bonin	TF 20-5
Win	1-0	Neil Erisman	MD 13-2

Awards and honors

2021

•   Olympic games
•   Pan American Championships

2019

•   Pan American Championships

2018

• UWW Best Wrestler of the Year
• John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year
•   World Wrestling Championships
•   World Cup Championships
•   Pan American Championships
•   Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix
•   Yasar Dogu

2017

•   World Cup Championships
•   Grand Prix of Paris

2016

•   Grand Prix of Spain

2015

•   Stepan Sargsyan Tournament
•   Grand Prix of Spain

2014

• Dan Hodge Trophy winner
• NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler
•   NCAA Division I
•   Big Ten Conference

2013

•   World University Games
•   NCAA Division I
•   Big Ten Conference

2012

• Dan Hodge Trophy winner
• NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler
•   NCAA Division I
•   Big Ten Conference

2011

•   NCAA Division I
•   Big Ten Conference

Endorsements

In 2015, Taylor and Adidas released a line of wrestling apparel labeled "M2" after Taylor's college nickname "Magic Man".^[90] Taylor received the nickname after a collegiate match in which he turned an unfavorable situation for himself into an advantage.^[91] The apparel line began with wrestling shoes and has since expanded to clothing, posters and Adidas sponsored events.

See also

List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians

References

1. Chris Bumbaca (August 5, 2021). "American David Taylor, aka 'Magic Man,' wins gold in Tokyo Olympics 86kg freestyle wrestling". USA Today. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
2. . Team USA. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
3. "USA's David Taylor Wins Gold In Men's Freestyle 86kg Wrestling". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
4. "Five things you did not know about USA wrestling star David Taylor". Olympic Channel. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
5. "Hassan Yazdani finally overcomes David Taylor". Tehran Times. October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
6. (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
7. "About DT | David Taylor". www.m2wrestling.com. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
8. "Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award State Winners Announced | National Wrestling Hall of Fame". Retrieved December 14, 2020.
9. Hipps, Andrew. "Iowa State-bound Taylor not afraid of challenges". Intermat. Intermat. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
10. Schoen, Timothy. "David Taylor avenges only loss in career". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
11. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (March 24, 2013). "Kyle Dake upends Penn State's David Taylor in NCAA wrestling final that won't soon be forgotten". pennlive. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
12. "David Taylor wins 2014 Dan Hodge Trophy". WIN Magazine. April 1, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
13. "ASICS University Nationals - Men's FS". Trackwrestling. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
14. "Rowlands drops down to 96 kilos to reach Olympic Trials final". WIN Magazine. April 21, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
15. Star-Ledger, Joe Kania/ For The (April 19, 2014). "Wrestling: Jordan Burroughs set to meet David Taylor in U.S. Open finals". nj. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
16. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (May 16, 2013). "PSU wrestler David Taylor notches international victory in New York City event". pennlive. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
17. "Megaludis, Taylor and Ruth claim Asics University National Championships | Penn State University". news.psu.edu. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
18. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (June 24, 2013). "David Taylor a member of U.S. national freestyle wrestling team after 3rd-place finish". pennlive. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
19. "27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, July 6-17 2013". kazan2013.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
20. . Team USA. April 20, 2014. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014.
21. "Burroughs delivers again to make U.S. World Team". InterMat. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
22. "Turkey Wrap: Yasar Dogu Results". Bloodround. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
23. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (May 9, 2015). "Former Penn State star David Taylor in U.S. Open wrestling finals; Ed Ruth falls to Jake Herbert in semifinals". pennlive. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
24. "David Taylor named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week". Onward State. May 28, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
25. "Burroughs handles Dake as World Team Trials conclude". InterMat. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
26. . Team USA. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015.
27. . Team USA. July 18, 2015. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015.
28. "Move to 189 pounds will let Taylor focus more on wrestling, not weight cutting". WIN Magazine. October 16, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
29. "Abdurakhmanov, Odikadze stun Olympic champs in Golden Grand Prix Final". InterMat. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
30. . Team USA. December 19, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
31. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (December 21, 2015). "Weekend wrestling: David Taylor 2nd to Kyle Dake; Penn State picks up heavyweight recruit". pennlive. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
32. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (April 11, 2016). "Kyle Snyder, Jordan Burroughs win U.S. Olympic Trials wrestling titles; David Taylor places 3rd". pennlive. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
33. Steen, Alex (July 9, 2016). . The Open Mat. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
34. "Titan Mercury Advances to the Finals". Bloodround. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
35. . Roar Lions Roar. January 29, 2017. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
36. Bethel, B. J. "Graham's Taylor on Iranian ban: 'I want what's best for the United States'". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
37. Steen, Alex (February 14, 2017). "2017 Men's Freestyle World Cup Preview". The Open Mat. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
38. . Team USA. March 1, 2017. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017.
39. "US Open 2017 Recap | Knowledge Center | David Taylor". www.m2wrestling.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
40. "Wrestling: Zain and Taylor Win at Beat the Streets". Roar Lions Roar. May 18, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
41. Steen, Alex (June 10, 2017). "Finals Set at 2017 Men's Freestyle World Team Trials". The Open Mat. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
42. "Penn State's Cael Sanderson ejected after throwing a chair onto mat (Video)". FanSided. June 12, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
43. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (June 11, 2017). "Penn State wrestler Zain Retherford earns berth on U.S. Senior Freestyle World team; Mark Hall wins Junior crown". pennlive. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
44. "Iran's Kashan Wins World Wrestling Clubs Cup - Sports news". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
45. R, Coach Mike (January 23, 2014). "Siberia's Toughest Wrestling Tournament Tomorrow". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
46. . Team USA. January 28, 2018. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018.
47. "Penn State Wrestling Alum David Taylor Powers USA To Freestyle World Cup Title". Onward State. April 9, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
48. "David Taylor Undefeated at World Cup, USA Gold | News & Updates | Nittany Lion Wrestling Club". www.nittanylionwrestlingclub.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
49. "2018 Marine Corps Freestyle U.S. Open". The Guillotine. April 29, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
50. Orlando, Alexandra (May 8, 2018). "Team USA Dominates Pan American Wrestling Championship". Panam Sports. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
51. . Roar Lions Roar. June 17, 2018. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
52. Hamilton, Andy. "Taylor pins his way through Yasar Dogu, Burroughs and Chamizo put on a show, Gilman grabs gold". Trackwrestling. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
53. "The Wrestling Battles: David Taylor vs Hassan Yazdani, rivalry between two giants". Wrestling TV. April 28, 2020.
54. "David Taylor Shines on Day 1 at World Championships". Roar Lions Roar. October 20, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
55. Smith, Earl (October 20, 2018). "World Finalist David Taylor Leads Team USA on Day One at the World Championships". The Open Mat. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
56. . Team USA. October 20, 2018. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
57. "How did Penn State great David Taylor do Saturday at the World Championships?". centredaily.com. October 20, 2018. from the original on October 21, 2018.
58. Zaccardi, Nick (October 21, 2018). "David Taylor wins wrestling world title, at long last". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
59. "Former Penn State wrestling great David Taylor wins 2018 World Championship". pennlive. October 22, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
60. . Team USA. January 1, 2019. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022.
61. . Team USA. March 28, 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019.
62. . Team USA. April 21, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019.
63. NJ.com, James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for (May 25, 2019). "World champion David Taylor withdraws from Final X-Rutgers; NJRTC's Pat Downey gets Team USA spot". nj. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
64. . Team USA. June 27, 2019. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019.
65. Collegian, Jake Aferiat | The Daily. "Reigning world champion, former Penn State wrestler David Taylor withdraws from Final X due to injury". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
66. Taylor. "Multiple World and Olympic Champions to Compete at Pan American Olympic Qualifier". United World Wrestling. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
67. "'Magic Man' returns: David Taylor qualifies USA for Tokyo 2020 after nearly a year out". Olympic Channel. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
68. "Five things you did not know about USA wrestling star David Taylor". Olympic Channel. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
69. Goodwin, Cody. "USA Wrestling announces that 2020 Olympic Trials are postponed". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
70. "Myles Martin to wrestle David Taylor in battle of champions". 247Sports. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
71. "Kyle Dake survives last-second scare to edge Frank Chamizo in wrestling thriller". Olympic Channel. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
72. "Taylor edges Dean at NLWC event on Rokfin". InterMat. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
73. "World champs Burroughs, Taylor to meet Jan. 9 on FloWrestling". InterMat. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
74. "Jordan Burroughs-David Taylor Match Moved To January 13". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
75. Guenther, Dylan (January 13, 2021). "Burroughs Falls to Taylor 4-4 on Criteria". Corn Nation. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
76. Eric. "Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France Preliminary Entries". United World Wrestling. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
77. "Complete Henri Deglane Grand Prix Preview". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
78. Gallo, Ed (March 31, 2021). "USA Men's Freestyle Olympic Team Trials - 86 kg Preview". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
79. "2021 Olympic Team Trials Quarterfinal Results and Semifinal Matchups". InterMat. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
80. "2021 Olympic Team Trials Challenge Tournament Results and Finals Matchups". InterMat. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
81. "Lion vs. Lion: David Taylor tops Bo Nickal for U.S. Olympic Team spot". 247Sports. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
82. Collegian, Jake Aferiat | The Daily. "Why David Taylor's Olympic berth came at a cost: 'Only one person gets to go'". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
83. . teamusa.org. May 17, 2021. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021.
84. Eric. "USA Claims Eight Gold Medals for Team Title on Last Day of #WrestleGuatemala". United World Wrestling. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
85. "David Taylor Reaches Olympic Wrestling Final; Helen Maroulis Loses Semifinal". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
86. . Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
87. Bumbaca, Chris. "American David Taylor, aka 'Magic Man,' wins gold in Tokyo Olympics 86kg freestyle wrestling". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
88. "Olympic champion David Taylor accepts bid to compete at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships". centredaily.com. August 12, 2021. from the original on August 16, 2021.
89. "Taylor, Yazdani set up world title showdown at UWW World Championships". www.insidethegames.biz. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
90. Ford, Bob. "Penn State wrestler David Taylor has one goal to go: the Olympics". Philly. PhillyArticles. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
91. Goodwin, Cody. "Wrestling David Taylor". The Daily Iowan. The Daily Iowan.