Shattering Paris Olympics From David Taylor, Aaron Brooks Finds Himself in Iconic Penn State Position

Among the many wrestlers who made it to the U.S. Paris Olympics team, 24-year-old Aaron Brooks was the standout. While he may lack the international experience of other veteran wrestlers, the youngster pulled off an upset for the ages. The Penn State wrestler, who’ll make his Olympic debut on August 7th, defeated Tokyo 2020 champion David Taylor.

Taylor decided to call it a career after losing his spot as the Olympic champion and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club’s metaphoric torch bearer in the stunning defeat. Now the head coach at Oklahoma State, the 33-year-old appeared on MMA Fighting’s YouTube channel for an exclusive interview. During Taylor’s conversation with Damon Martin, the host asked Magic Man if losing to Brooks was, in a way, a passing of the torch moment.

“Is there any feeling of that, like you did pass the torch to another Penn State guy?” Martin asked the highest-paid wrestling coach in the USA. “Yeah, I mean Aaron has been an age group world champion at every stage. He’s wrestled every… you know U17, U20s, and U23. He’s been competing in the room alongside us for a long time,” Taylor said during the interview.

Although his fellow NLWC member demolished Magic Man’s Paris Olympic dreams, he vouched for Aaron Brook’s skills. “I think Aaron is extremely skilled and extremely, prepared for this moment for sure. He believes he’s going to be successful… I think that’s great,” added the 3x world champion. The wrestler who turned 24 on June 15th showcased that potential against the veteran.

David Taylor was the overwhelming favorite coming into the U.S. trials, he lost just once against Iran’s Hassan Yazdani in 66 matches. However, Brooks stole Taylor’s magic, sweeping the 86 kg Olympic champion in a 4-1 victory, becoming the first American in seven years to defeat the 33-year-old. However, the former Penn State teammates shared immense mutual respect.

What Aaron Brooks told David Taylor

In an exclusive interview with USA Wrestling ahead of the Paris Olympics, the U23 World Champion revealed what he told Taylor. “You know I told him I love him…,” said Team USA’s gold medal prospect. The new face of Penn State wrestling also respects David Taylor as one of the first wrestlers who helped make the University’s wrestling team the NCAA giant it is today.

Besides having the utmost respect for his predecessor, the 4x consecutive NCAA champ is confident about his chances in Paris. Veteran wrestlers with international experience like Hassan Yazdani, Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev, Azerbaijan’s Osman Nurmagomedov, and others. “I don’t really care. Let’s just go wrestle.” said the 4x Big Ten champion.

Besides praising Aaron Brooks, the Oklahoma State wrestling head coach also said that Brooks is one of the athletes who could help Team USA secure six gold medals in wrestling. Thankfully, wrestling fans won’t have to wait too long to find out if Magic Man’s prediction holds up.