David Taylor, the Tokyo Olympic wrestling gold medalist, is gearing up for what he says will be his second retirement after the upcoming world championships. Yes, you heard that right! As the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State, Taylor will represent the United States in the 92-kilogram weight class during the 2024 Senior World Championships. He shared his excitement, saying, “It’s something that everyone in this room is aspiring to do. So, I think it’s a good thing for the guys to continue to see that. I’m excited to go wrestle.”

The 2024 World Championships are set for October 28-31 in Tirana, Albania, and they’ll feature competitions in four weight classes that weren’t included in the Paris Olympics this past summer. Taylor is clearly ready for his comeback as an athlete, aiming for his third consecutive gold medal at the World Championships.

David Taylor shared his excitement on X, saying, “Looking forward to an exciting season! Go Pokes! Let’s set new attendance records.” He’s already made quite a name for himself, with four gold medals on the world level, starting with his first title in 2018, followed by another at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He also snagged a silver medal at the 2021 Worlds, bringing his total medal count to five!

Back in September, David Taylor earned his spot on Team USA with a strong showing at the U.S. World Team Trials, winning all six of his matches. He even swept 2023 World bronze medalist Zahid Valencia in the best-of-three Championship Series, and you could feel his excitement in the air. Now, as head coach of Oklahoma State wrestling, Taylor, with 2 NCAA titles, finds himself in a unique position. He has the chance to outdo his former coach, Cael Sanderson, who has 11 NCAA titles under his belt.

This could be the year Taylor brings Oklahoma State a national title in his first season as head coach. While Sanderson built a powerhouse, his first season had its struggles, with Penn State finishing ninth at the 2010 NCAA Championships. In contrast, Taylor’s roster is stacked with talent poised to take Oklahoma State to the top right away. But the question comes: why is he planning to retire at the age of only 33?

David Taylor’s second retirement: Is it true?

David Taylor is preparing to retire for the second time. At 33, David Taylor is really feeling the weight of his upcoming decision as he prepares for a pivotal moment in his career. After announcing his retirement on May 10 when he became the head coach at Oklahoma State, things took a turn when he faced a setback at the U.S. Olympic Trials, losing to Aaron Brooks.

But in a surprising twist, Taylor decided to come out of retirement on September 12, announcing he would compete in the World Championship trials while still coaching the Cowboys. This year’s championships will have non-Olympic weight classes, so U.S. Olympic team members for Paris won’t be in the mix, which makes Taylor’s comeback even more interesting.

Taylor views this as a chance to contend for a championship title—an opportunity that doesn’t present itself frequently in his career path. By participating in the tournament, he might come up against Abdulrashid Sadulayev, from Russia, renowned as one of the wrestlers globally in his weight class. In Taylor’s journey, Sadulayev encountered many hurdles on his own path, including being omitted from the Paris Olympics due to eligibility criteria imposed on Russian athletes. It will be exciting to witness how this game plays out and which side will emerge victorious in the end.