David Morris Taylor III (born December 5, 1990) is an American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 86 kilograms. In 2021, Taylor became the 2020 Olympic gold medalist after defeating reigning Olympic and World Champion

Hassan Yazdani Hassan Yazdani Charati ( fa, حسن یزدانی چراتی born 26 December 1994 in Lapu Sahra, Chapakrud Rural District, Juybar County, Iran) is an Iranian wrestler. Yazdani is an Olympic and World Champion in freestyle wrestling in two weig ...

, a feat he repeated from the 2018 World Championship where he stormed his way to the title. He later became the 2021 World Championship runner-up, after being defeated by Yazdani. Then, at the 2022 World Championships, he avenged that loss by defeating Yazdani once again to reclaim his world title. One of the most accomplished

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

in the history of the Pennsylvania State program, Taylor was a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion (four–time finalist), a four-time

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

champion and a two-time

Dan Hodge Trophy The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded each year to the United States of America’s best college wrestler. The trophy is presented at the end of the season by W.I.N. Magazine (''Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine'') and Culture House. It is the collegiate w ...

winner during his collegiate years.

Folkstyle career

High school

Born in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, Taylor attended Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. As a high schooler, Taylor became a four-time

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

state champion with an outstanding 180–2 record and graduated with a 4.0

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

. He received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2009 as the nation's top high school wrestler.

College

During his time at the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

(2009–2014), Taylor went on to become a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion (four-time finalist), a four-time

champion and two-time

winner. After capping off a perfect

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

year, Taylor was pinned by Arizona State's

Bubba Jenkins Bubba Jenkins (born February 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division of Professional Fighters League. He has also notably competed for Bellator MMA, Absolute ...

at the NCAA finals. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

, he moved up from to , and continued to establish dominance, now successfully picking up the NCAA title and being named the best college wrestler in the US as the

winner with a 70–1 overall record. As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

, he faced

Kyle Dake Kyle Douglas Dake (born February 25, 1991) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 74 kilograms. Dake is a four-time and the reigning World Champion, winning back-to-back titles twice, at ...

from

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in the NCAA finals, who had 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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. After a back-and-forth battle, Taylor was defeated in a close 4–5 loss. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, he once again had an undefeated campaign, claimed his second NCAA title, helped clinch the team title for the

and became the third multiple-time

winner in history. Taylor graduated with 134 wins and three losses, 50

pins A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch de ...

, 42

technical fall In amateur wrestling, a technical fall, or technical superiority, is a victory condition satisfied by outscoring one's opponent by a specified number of points. It is wrestling's version of the mercy rule. It is informally abbreviated to "tech" as b ...

s and 29 major decisions.

Freestyle career

2010–2012

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

2013–2014

In 2013, Taylor claimed runner-up honors at the US Open in April, defeating

Nick Marable Nick Marable (born May 7, 1987) of Collierville, Tennessee, is an American former freestyle wrestler for Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. He represented the United States at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships. Marable later served as the assistan ...

to reach the finals and then being downed by the defending Olympic champion

Jordan Burroughs Jordan Ernest Burroughs (born July 8, 1988) is an American freestyle wrestler and former folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 79 kilograms, and previously competed at 74 kilos. In freestyle, he was the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is ...

. After

pinning Pinning may refer to: * Pinning, the effect of certain weapons that cause their targets to be pinned down * Pinning ceremony (nursing), a symbolic welcoming of new graduates into the nursing profession * Pinning force, a force acting on a pinned ...

'12 Junior World Champion Magomed Kurbanaliev from Russia at Beat the Streets, Taylor became a two-time US University National and made the US University World Team on May. 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

to claim third-place. At the

2013 Summer Universiade The 2013 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXVII Summer Universiade (russian: XXVII Летняя Универсиада), was held in the city of Kazan, Russia, the most northerly city ever to host a Summer Universiade. Over 10,400 un ...

, he claimed a bronze medal for the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In 2014, last year's US Open results were repeated when Taylor fell to

, this rematch being much closer and forcing the now defending World Champion to come from behind to get the last minute comeback. After dominating the eventual '16 Olympic bronze medalist and at-the-time two-time

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

bronze medalist and two-time European Champion

Jabrayil Hasanov Jabrayil Hasanov ( az, Cəbrayıl Həsənov, born on 24 February 1990 in Suparibağ, Astara, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union) is a male freestyle wrestler from Azerbaijan who has competed in the 66, 74 and 79 kg categories. ...

at Beat the Streets, Taylor made the US World Team Trials finals, but was defeated twice in a row by Burroughs.

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 Yasar may refer to: People * Yaşar (name), a Turkish name, including a list of people with the name * Mehmet Yasar, 19th century Macedonian politician * Nedim Yasar (1987–2018), Danish former gangster and radio host of Turkish origin * Yasar Sh ...

, where he went 3–2. He then claimed his first US Open National title in May, followed up by a

over Cuba's

Liván López Liván López Azcuy (born January 24, 1982) is a male freestyle wrestler from Cuba who competes in the 66 kg category. In 2011, he won a gold medal at the Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships The 2011 ...

at Beat the Streets. In his fourth attempt to make the US World Team, Taylor was once again overpowered by

in the challenge tournament, but he came back and claimed the third place when he beat veteran Andrew Howe. Taylor then claimed Grand Prix of Spain and Stepan Sargsyan Cup gold medals in July, before making the decision to bulk up to the 86 kilogram division on September. Taylor took fifth-place at the Golden Grand Prix of November, and seemed overpowered in his first tournament at a new weight class. On December, Taylor competed at the US Senior Nationals, and after running through '14 US World Team member and teammate

Ed Ruth Edward Lee Ruth (born October 21, 1990) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA ...

, Taylor was defeated by long-time rival

. 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. He then claimed his second Spain Grand Prix title on July, 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 Alireza Karimi Machiani ( fa, علیرضا کریمی ماچیانی; born 21 March 1994) is an Iranian freestyle wrestler. He won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships in the 86 kg division. He was eliminated by J'den Cox of the ...

2017

In his first competition of the year, Taylor dominated through the Grand Prix of Paris in January, and despite being initially banned by the

Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Neẓām-e jomhūrī-e eslāmi-e Irān, known simply as ''Neẓām'' ( fa, نظام, lit=the system) among its supporters) is the ruling state a ...

, he went on to compete at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

on February, at

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. At the World Cup, he displayed amazing skillset when he dominantly defeated four top-level opponents in impressive fashion; '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time European Champion

Dato Marsagishvili Dato Marsagishvili ( ka, დათო მარსაგიშვილი; born March 30, 1991) is a male wrestler from Georgia, born in Stepantsminda. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, despite losing the quarterfinals against Jaime Es ...

in the first round (8-3), that year's World Championship bronze medalist

Vladislav Valiev Vladislav Valiev (born 25 April 1993) is a Russian freestyle wrestler. He won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 86 kg event at the 2019 European Wrestling Championships held in Bucharest, Romania. He also won one of the bronze medals at the ...

( TF 14–4), '12 Olympic Gold medalist

Sharif Sharifov Sharif Naidhajavovich Sharifov (russian: Шариф Наидгаджавович Шарифов, az, Шәриф Шәрифов, italics=no; born November 11, 1988 in Gunukh, Charodinsky District, Dagestan) is a Russian-Azerbaijani male wrestle ...

(TF 12–2) and '16 Olympic Gold medalist

(fall). After a prestigious last performance, Taylor came back to claim his second US National title on April, with an overall score of 40–4 against five opponents. After a quick win at Beat the Streets, Taylor made the World Team Trials finals when he ran through '16 US OTT

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

champion Joe Rau and '12 Junior World Championship runner-up Pat Downey, and defeated three-time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

All-American Nick Heflin to make the

best-of-three There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

, where he faced returning Olympic Bronze medalist

J'den Cox J'den Michael Tbory Cox ( /ˈdʒeɪdən/ ''JAY-dən'', born March 3, 1995) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 92 kilograms. In freestyle, Cox is a two-time World Champion (bronze medalist in 20 ...

. In the first match, Taylor rallied comfortably with a 9–3 win, but was closely defeated in the second match 3–4, leading up to a controversial third bout due to Cox' sweat and alleged passivity, which caused Taylor to kick the challenge cube and his cornerman

Cael Sanderson Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State University's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic Gold medal and was undefeated in four ...

to throw items at the official and a chair onto the mat after losing 3–5. He came back to competition at the World Clubs Cup on December, where he helped the TMWC reach second place with notable victories over

and Pawan Kumar.

2018

To start off the year, Taylor became only the twelfth

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

to claim a gold medal at the Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix, considered to be the toughest open tournament in the world. He opened up with a win over two-time (and defending)

Pan American Pan-American, Pan American, Panamerican, Pan-America, Pan America or Panamerica may refer to: * Collectively, the Americas: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean * Something of, from, or related to the Americas * Pan-Amer ...

champion

Yurieski Torreblanca Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta (born March 14, 1989) is a Cuban freestyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. A three-time Pan American Champion, Torreblanca won gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games and the 2018 Central American and Cari ...

, followed up by

Selim Yaşar Koloi Mikailovich Kartoev (russian: Колой Микаилович Картоев; born 20 February 1990 in Ingushetia), also known as Selim Yaşar or Zelimkhan Kartoev, is an Ingush-born Russian naturalized Turkish freestyle wrestler, Juni ...

on points and a fall over '17 Junior World Champion

Artur Naifonov Artur Edikovich Naifonov ( rus, Артур Эдикович Найфонов , , ɐrˈtur nɐɪ̯ˈfonəf, os, Найфонты Эдичы фырт Артур; born 10 May 1997) is a Russian freestyle wrestler, of Ossetian heritage, who competes ...

to make the finals. In the finals, he got another fall, now over Fatih Erdin, to claim the

Gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

. On April, he claimed his second and back-to-back World Cup championship, recording four technical falls to help secure the gold medal for the United States. He also clinched his third US National title, with four victories over fellow Americans. On May, he claimed his first Pan American title, with notable wins over

Pool Ambrocio Pool Edison Ambrocio Greifo (born 4 December 1990) is a Peruvian wrestler. In March 2020, he won the silver medal in the freestyle 86 kg event at the 2020 Pan American Wrestling Championships held in Ottawa, Canada. Career In 2011, he comp ...

and Eduardo Gajardo. On his seventh attempt to make the US World/Olympic Team, Taylor finally and dominantly was able to punch tickets to the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, when he defeated '18 Bill Farrell Memorial medalist Nick Reenan twice via technical fall on May, at Final X: State College. He then warmed up at the

of July, with four dominant pins over foreigners. At the

, 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

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. In the next round, he tech'd '18 Alexander Medved champion Hajy Rajabau from Belarus, to advance to the quarterfinals. Next, he picked apart the accomplished Cuban

, to pick up an 8–0 victory. In the semifinals, he had it harder, as he went to the distance against the '17 European Champion and Russia's best

Dauren Kurugliev Dauren Khalidovich Kurugliev (russian: Даурен Халидович Куруглиев; 12 July 1992, Makhachkala) is a Russian mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler of Lezgin descent. He is a 2019 European Games gold medalist and a Eur ...

, but was able to score the comeback win 7–5. During the match, Taylor got briefly

knocked out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

after Kurugliev accidentally wheel kicked him on the chin when escaping a single leg attempt by Taylor. In the finals, he dismantled Fatih Erdin from Turkey, overwhelming his opposition with 12 points to two, to claim the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and help Team USA reach third place. After the year was over, Taylor was named the UWW International Freestyle wrestler of the Year, and was awarded the John Smith Award winner as USA's Freestyle wrestler of the Year.

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. 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 The United States competed in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019. The team included 313 men and 327 women. The United States traditionally fielded its B or C teams in the most of sports. In basketball, the US ...

or to defend his

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

at the

. After almost a full year of no competition, Taylor came back to wrestle in March 2020, at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament. He comfortably got three wins to win the

bracket A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

and internationally qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Taylor was then scheduled to compete at the US Olympic Team Trials on April 4 at

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a home rule municipality in Centre County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a college town, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Sta ...

, where he was a heavy favorite. However, the event was postponed for 2021 along with the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, leaving all the qualifiers unable to compete. Taylor was unable to compete for a couple of months due to the

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...

, 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. After Downey pulled out of the bout due to problems with the organization, Taylor wrestled and tech'd the accomplished

Myles Martin Myles Najee Martin (born May 20, 1996) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. In freestyle, he placed second at the '19 US National Championships and is a two-time US U23 National Champi ...

. After more months of inactiveness, Taylor defeated two-time NCAA champion

Gabe Dean Gabriel Curtis Dean (born June 19, 1994) is an American retired freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who formerly competed at 86 kilograms. In freestyle, he was the 2020 US National Champion, a '17 Pan American ...

by points on November 24, at the NLWC III.

2021

To start the year, Taylor was scheduled to face his former rival and five-time World and Olympic champion (at 74 kg)

, at 86 kilos, on January 9, while headlining FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor. However, it was announced on January 8 that Taylor was unable to travel to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

due to COVID-19 restrictions and the bout was subsequently postponed for four days later and changed its location for

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, thus moving to a different card also named FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor. 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. Taylor was also scheduled to compete at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane on January 16, but was not able to travel due to the postponement of his match against Burroughs. During April 2 to 3, Taylor competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials as the heavy favorite and top–seed. After cleaning out All–American Brett Pfarr in the quarterfinal round, Taylor flawlessly knocked off reigning US National champion

in a rematch from their match at the NLWC III, advancing to the best–of–three finals. In the finale, Taylor faced reigning U23 World Champion and

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

legend

Bo Nickal Bo Dean Nickal (born January 14, 1996) is an American professional mixed martial artist, former Freestyle wrestler, freestyle and graduated Collegiate wrestling, folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UF ...

, whom he is close with as a friend and teammate at the

Nittany Lion Wrestling Club The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) is an amateur wrestling club and nonprofit organization. It was designated by USA Wrestling as a U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center and it hosts its practices at the Penn State wrestling room. Resident at ...

. 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 The United States, represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, the Games were postponed to July 23 to August 8, ...

. In regards to his close relationship with Nickal, Taylor then stated: As a result, Taylor also competed at the Pan American Continental Championships on May 30. 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. Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 86 kg – Hassan Yazdani (IRI) (31)

Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 86 kg – Hassan Yazdani (IRI) (31)

On August 4, Taylor competed in the first date of men's freestyle 86 kg of the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

, where he looked dominant enough to score

s over all of his three opponents on his way to the finals; four-time

medalist

Ali Shabanau Ali Shabanau (, born 25 August 1989 in Dagestan), also known as Ali Shabanov, is a Russian-born Avar people (Caucasus), Avar Freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler who represents Belarus that competed at the 2012 Olympics at Wrestling at the 20 ...

from

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

, '20 European Championship runner-up

Myles Amine Myles Nazem Amine (born December 14, 1996) is a Sammarinese-American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. He represents San Marino due to his maternal great-grandfather being a citizen. In freestyle, Amine won bronze ...

from

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

and defending World silver medalist Deepak Punia from India at the 2020 Summer Olympics, India. On the other side of the finale awaited rival and List of World and Olympic Champions in men's freestyle wrestling#2018–2019, reigning Olympic and World Champion

from Iran at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Iran, Taylor meeting him in a rubber match on August 5 after downing him twice earlier in his career. 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 Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 86 kg, 2020 Summer Olympic Games gold medal and extended his win-streak to 54 matches. As an Olympic medalist, Taylor earned the right to automatically represent the United States at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships, 2021 World Championships without having to compete domestically to make the 2021 United States World Team Trials (wrestling), US World Team, and did do so in October 2–3. 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. A fourth match with rival and List of World and Olympic Champions in men's freestyle wrestling#2018–2019, reigning World Champion

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.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 141–19 , align=left, Zahid Valencia , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, June 8, 2022 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2022 Final X NYC , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2, New York City, New York , - , Win , 140–19 , align=left, Zahid Valencia , style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 139–19 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–6 , style="font-size:88%", October 3, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2021 World Wrestling Championships, 2021 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Oslo, Norway , - , Win , 139–18 , align=left, Abubakr Abakarov , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, October 2, 2021 , - , Win , 138–18 , align=left, Akhmed Aibuev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 137–18 , align=left, Boris Makojev , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 136–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–3 , style="font-size:88%", August 5, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4,

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Tokyo, Japan , - , Win , 135–18 , align=left, Deepak Punia , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, August 4, 2021 , - , Win , 134–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 133–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 132–18 , align=left, Clayton Pye , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, May 30, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2021 Pan American Wrestling Championships, 2021 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Guatemala City, Guatemala , - , Win , 131–18 , align=left, Juan Sebastián Rivera , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 130–18 , align=left, Noel Alfonso Torres , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 129–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 2–3, 2021 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (wrestling), 2020 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Forth Worth, Texas , - , Win , 128–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 127–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 126–18 , align=left, Brett Pfarr , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 125–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–4 , style="font-size:88%", January 13, 2021 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Taylor , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

, - , Win , 124–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–2 , style="font-size:88%", November 24, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", NLWC III , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

, - , Win , 123–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , style="font-size:88%", July 25, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 122–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", FF , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, March 15, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2020 Pan American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament, 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Ottawa, Canada , - , Win , 121–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , - , Win , 120–18 , align=left, Pedro Ceballos , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 119–18 , align=left, Pedro Ceballos , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 19–21, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2019 Pan American Wrestling Championships, 2019 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Buenos Aires, Argentina , - , Win , 118–18 , align=left, Lazaro Hernandez , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 117–18 , align=left, Meruzhan Nikoyan , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , - , Win , 116–18 , align=left, Rashji Mackey , style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 115–18 , align=left, Fatih Erdin , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, October 20–21, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2018 World Wrestling Championships, 2018 World Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Budapest, Hungary , - , Win , 114–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 7–5 , - , Win , 113–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , - , Win , 112–18 , align=left, Hajy Rajabau , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 111–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 11–6 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 110–18 , align=left, Murad Suleymanov , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, July 27–29, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2018 Yasar Dogu Tournament, 2018 Yaşar Doğu International , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Istanbul, Turkey , - , Win , 109–18 , align=left, Ahmet Bilici , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 108–18 , align=left, Boris Makojev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 107–18 , align=left, Azamat Dauletbekow , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 106–18 , align=left, Nick Reenan , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, June 15–16, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2018 Final X: State College , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

, - , Win , 105–18 , align=left, Nick Reenan , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 104–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 3–6, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2018 Pan American Wrestling Championships, 2018 Pan American Continental Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Lima, Peru , - , Win , 103–18 , align=left, Julio Rodriguez Romero , style="font-size:88%", 3–0 , - , Win , 102–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 101–18 , align=left, Eduardo Gajardo , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 100–18 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", 8–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 24–28, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2018 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Win , 99–18 , align=left, T.J. Dudley , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 98–18 , align=left, Noe Garcia , style="font-size:88%", 2–0 , - , Win , 97–18 , align=left, Austin Coburn , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 96–18 , align=left, Evan Hansen , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 95–18 , align=left, Aleksandr Gostiyev , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 7, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2018 Wrestling World Cup - Men's freestyle, 2018 World Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Iowa City, Iowa , - , Win , 94–18 , align=left, David Khutsishvili , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–1 , - , Win , 93–18 , align=left, Masao Matsusaka , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 92–18 , align=left, Pawan Kumar , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 91–18 , align=left, Fatih Erdin , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, January 28, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2018 , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Krasnoyarsk, Russia , - , Win , 90–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 89–18 , align=left, Selim Yaşar, Koloi Kartoev , style="font-size:88%", 4–1 , - , Win , 88–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 87–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, December 7–8, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2017 World Clubs Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Tehran, Iran , - , Win , 86–18 , align=left, Gankhuyag Ganbaatar , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 85–18 , align=left, Petar Savakov , style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 84–18 , align=left, Pawan Kumar , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 83–18 , align=left, Alexander Moore , style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 82–18 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, June 9–10, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2017 US World Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,

, - , Loss , 82–17 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–4 , - , Win , 82–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 9–3 , - , Win , 81–16 , align=left, Nick Heflin , style="font-size:88%", 13–9 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2017 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament , - , Win , 80–16 , align=left, Pat Downey , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 79–16 , align=left, Joe Rau , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - , Win , 78–16 , align=left, Takahiro Murayama , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%", May 17, 2017 , style="font-size:88%", 2017 Beat The Streets: Times Square , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" , New York City, New York , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 77–16 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 26–29, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2017 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Win , 76–16 , align=left, Nick Heflin , style="font-size:88%", TF 15–4 , - , Win , 75–16 , align=left, Pat Downey , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 74–16 , align=left, Chance McClure , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 73–16 , align=left, Anthony Cress , style="font-size:88%", 5–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 72–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, February 16–17, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2017 Wrestling World Cup - Men's freestyle, 2017 World Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Kermanshah, Iran , - , Win , 71–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 70–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , - , Win , 69–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–3 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 68–16 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", 8–5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, January 28–29, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2017 International Paris Grand Prix , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Paris, France , - , Win , 67–16 , align=left, Akhmed Aibuev , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 66–16 , align=left, István Veréb , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 65–16 , align=left, Mihaly Nagy , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 64–16 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 12–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, November 30 – December 1, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2016 World Wrestling Clubs Cup - Men's freestyle, 2016 World Clubs Cup , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Kharkiv, Ukraine , - , Win , 63–16 , align=left, Bohdan Hrytsay , style="font-size:88%", TF 19–6 , - , Loss , 62–16 , align=left, Dmytro Rochniak , style="font-size:88%", 2–6 , - , Win , 62–15 , align=left, Nika Kentchadze , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 61–15 , align=left, István Veréb , style="font-size:88%", 8–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, July 9–10, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2016 Grand Prix of Spain , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Madrid, Spain , - , Win , 60–15 , align=left, Orgodolyn Üitümen , style="font-size:88%", 14–7 , - , Win , 59–15 , align=left, Anthony Valencia , style="font-size:88%", 10–3 , - , Win , 58–15 , align=left, Vahid Shahmohammadiizad , style="font-size:88%", 6–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 57–15 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, April 8–10, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2016 United States Olympic Team Trials (wrestling), 2016 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Iowa City, Iowa , - , Loss , 56–15 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–11 , - , Win , 56–14 , align=left, Austin Trotman , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 55–14 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–11 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, December 18–19, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 US Nationals – US Olympic Trials Qualifier , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Win , 55–13 , align=left, Richard Perry , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 54–13 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 53–13 , align=left, Ehsan Lashgari , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, November 27–29, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 Golden Grand Prix , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Baku, Azerbaijan , - , Loss , 53–12 , align=left, Gardiiyev Nurmagomed , style="font-size:88%", 0–6 , - , Win , 53–11 , align=left, Umidjon Ismanov , style="font-size:88%", 8–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 52–11 , align=left, Kakhaber Khubezhty , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, July 18–19, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 Stepan Sargsyan Tournament , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Yerevan, Armenia , - , Win , 51–11 , align=left, Giya Chikhladze , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 50–11 , align=left, Ruslan Rubaev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 49–11 , align=left, Carmelo Lumia , style="font-size:88%", 12–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, July 11, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2015 Grand Prix of Spain , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Madrid, Spain , - , Win , 48–11 , align=left, Zhang Chongyao , style="font-size:88%", 9–1 , - , Win , 47–11 , align=left, Gong Byung Min , style="font-size:88%", 10–1 , - , Win , 46–11 , align=left, Rafael Mota , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 45–11 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, June 12–14, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2015 US World Team Trials Challenge , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3, Madison, Wisconsin , - , Loss , 44–11 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–8 , - , Win , 44–10 , align=left, Tyler Stalledwell , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 43–10 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 18–7 , style="font-size:88%", May 12, 2015 , style="font-size:88%", 2015 Beat The Streets: Salsa in the Square , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" , New York City, New York , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 42–10 , align=left, Andre Howe , style="font-size:88%", 2–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 5–9, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2015 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Win , 41–10 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", TF 12–2 , - , Win , 40–10 , align=left, Nestor Tafur , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 39–10 , align=left, Jacob Butenhoff , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 38–10 , align=left, Khetag Tsabolov , style="font-size:88%", 3–9 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 28–29, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2015 Yasar Dogu Tournament, 2015 Grand Prix Yaşar Doğu , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Istanbul, Turkey , - , Loss , 38–9 , align=left, Denis Tsargush , style="font-size:88%", 3–6 , - , Win , 38–8 , align=left, Bahman Teymouri , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 37–8 , align=left, Abdullah Arslan , style="font-size:88%", 12–4 , - , Win , 36–8 , align=left, Marad Zoidze , style="font-size:88%", 6–5 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 35–8 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 5–6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 30–31, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2014 US World Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Madison, Wisconsin , - , Loss , 35–7 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–6 , - , Win , 35–6 , align=left, Andre Howe , style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2014 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament , - , Win , 34–6 , align=left, Quinton Godley , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 33–6 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , style="font-size:88%", May 7, 2014 , style="font-size:88%", 2014 Beat The Streets: USA vs. The World , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" , New York City, New York , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 32–6 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 16–19, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2014 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Win , 32–5 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , - , Win , 31–5 , align=left, Paul Rademacher , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 30–5 , align=left, Marcus Bausaman , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 29–5 , align=left, Gombodorj Dorjvaanchig , style="font-size:88%", 10–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, July 11–16, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2013 Summer Universiade , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Kazan, Russia , - , Win , 28–5 , align=left, Reza Afzali Paemami , style="font-size:88%", 7–5 , - , Loss , 27–5 , align=left, Denis Tsargush , style="font-size:88%", 4–7 , - , Win , 27–4 , align=left, Apostolos Taskoudis , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 26–4 , align=left, Zurab Erbotsonashvili , style="font-size:88%", 8–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 25–4 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", TF 9-– , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, June 20–22, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2013 US World Team Trials Challenge , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Stillwater, Oklahoma , - , Win , 24–4 , align=left, Trent Paulson , style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - , Win , 23–4 , align=left, Ryan Morningstar , style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - , Loss , 22–4 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–7 , - , Win , 22–3 , align=left, Moza Fay , style="font-size:88%", TF 9–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 21–3 , align=left, Quinton Godley , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=8, May 24–26, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=8, 2013 US University National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=8, Akron, Ohio , - , Win , 20–3 , align=left, Quinton Godley , style="font-size:88%", 3–0 , - , Win , 19–3 , align=left, Ian Miller , style="font-size:88%", TF 14–4 , - , Win , 18–3 , align=left, Logan Molina , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 17–3 , align=left, Geno Morelli , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–3 , - , Win , 16–3 , align=left, Jesse Stafford , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 15–3 , align=left, Robert Schlitt , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Win , 14–3 , align=left, Santonio Cathery , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–0 , - , Win , 13–3 , align=left, Magomed Kurbanaliev , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%", May 15, 2013 , style="font-size:88%", 2013 Beat The Streets: Rumble on the Rails , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" , New York City, New York , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 12–3 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 1–3, 0–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 17–20, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2013 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Las Vegas, Nevada , - , Win , 12–2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 2–0, 4–0 , - , Win , 11–2 , align=left, Ryan Morningstar , style="font-size:88%", 1–0, 1–0 , - , Win , 10–2 , align=left, Holden Packard , style="font-size:88%", TF 9–0, 7–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 9–2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, April 21, 2012 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2012 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Iowa City, Iowa , - , Win , 9–1 , align=left, Colt Sponseller , style="font-size:88%", 2–0, 1–1, 4–2 , - , Win , 8–1 , align=left, Mike Poeta , style="font-size:88%", 4–3, 3–1 , - , Loss , 7–1 , align=left, Andrew Howe , style="font-size:88%", 0–1, 0–5 , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Moza Fay , style="font-size:88%", 0–4, 5–3, 3–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Matt Lester , style="font-size:88%", 3–0, 5–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, April 8–11, 2010 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 2010 US University National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6, Akron, Ohio , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Dean Pavlou , style="font-size:88%", TF 7–0, 6–0 , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Seth Vernon , style="font-size:88%", 1–0, 4–3 , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Matt Ballweg , style="font-size:88%", 2–1, 1–1, 3–1 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Timmy Boone , style="font-size:88%", 2–2, 3–0, 8–2 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Nathan Millman , style="font-size:88%", TF 7–0, 6–0 , -

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2014 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Win , 18-2 , align=left, Tyler Caldwell , style="font-size:88%", 6-0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 20–22, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 17-2 , align=left, Steve Monk , style="font-size:88%", MD 13-5 , - , Win , 16-2 , align=left, Michael Moreno , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 15-2 , align=left, Jim Wilson , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 14-2 , align=left, Joe Brewster , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2013 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Loss , 13-2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4-5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 21–23, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 13-1 , align=left, Peter Yates , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 12-1 , align=left, Conrad Polz , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 11-1 , align=left, Zachary Strickland , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 10-1 , align=left, John Staudenmayer , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2012 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs , - , Win , 9-1 , align=left, Brandon Hatchett , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 15–17, 2012 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 8-1 , align=left, Bekzod Abdurakhmonov , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 7-1 , align=left, Robert Kokesh , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 6-1 , align=left, Brandon Wright , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 5-1 , align=left, Corey Lear , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2011 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs , - , Loss , 4-1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 17–20, 2011 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 4-0 , align=left, Steven Fittery , style="font-size:88%", 7-1 , - , Win , 3-0 , align=left, Derek St. John , style="font-size:88%", 6-3 , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, David Bonin , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left, Neil Erisman , style="font-size:88%", 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 * United World Wrestling, 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 *

winner *NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler * NCAA Division I *

;2013 * World University Games * NCAA Division I *

;2012 *

winner *NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler * NCAA Division I *

;2011 * NCAA Division I *

Endorsements

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, David American male sport wrestlers 1990 births Living people Universiade medalists in wrestling Universiade bronze medalists for the United States World Wrestling Championships medalists Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners Pan American Wrestling Championships medalists Wrestlers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling World Wrestling Champions Penn State Nittany Lions wrestlers

Folkstyle career

High school

College

Freestyle career

2010–2012

2013–2014

2015–2016

2017

2018

2019–2020

2021

Freestyle record

NCAA record

Awards and honors

Endorsements

See also

References