Doing your homework before an important test is always essential, and Aaron Brooks has been leaving no stone unturned to solidify his chances of hauling gold. As the 2024 Paris Olympics inches ever closer, the ex-Penn State wrestler is the USA’s biggest hope for clinching a podium finish in at least one weight class. While Brooks has been training rigorously for the upcoming rumble with his national colleagues, the four-time NCAA champ has also been looking beyond his domestic borders for inspiration to perfect his skills.

With Brooks subduing the ‘Magic Man’ David Taylor at the Olympic Team Trials, many expect the former to defend the USA’s gold in the 86kg weight class successfully at the French capital. However, the responsibility is towering, especially with the likes of Olympic gold medalist Hassan Yazdani standing in his way. But Brooks is looking to fight fire with fire, and he isn’t shy about taking notes from his rivals either.

In an Instagram post by FloWrestling’s Christian Piles, Brooks can be heard talking about how he’s been watching the Iranian Behemoth closely to sharpen his underhook. While Yazdani is one of the main contributors to Brooks’ skill development, the three-time World Championships gold medalist isn’t the only one who the latter is looking up to ahead of the showdown in France.

The reigning 74kg world champ Zaurbek Sidakov is another international star who Brooks admits to admiring and modeling his own style around. “Two people that kind of was mold my style was Sidakov and Yazdani. I loved the way those two wrestled,” Brooks revealed in the IG post.

“I’d watch their video, their matches,” Aaron elaborated further, noting that he added more elements to the Iranian and the Russian stars’ styles to create his own way of perfecting the underhook. Admitting that his and Yazdani’s styles are very similar, Brooks could be getting his chance to test out his skills against the latter, as the two could end up locking horns on the mat in the upcoming Olympics.

While the 74kg Olympic gold medalist Sidakov has been named among the wrestlers who the IOC has banned from competing in the French capital, Yazdani is in no danger of such troubles and Brooks will have to buckle up if he wishes to replicate Taylor’s feat from Tokyo. But Hassan isn’t the only one to pose a threat to Brooks’ hopes.

Aaron Brooks will have to run for his money’s worth

The 86kg weight class is stacked to the brim with talents from all around the world, all of them vying to bring glory to their respective countries. Along with Yazdani, the 2024 Asian Championships gold medalist Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan, San Marino’s Myles Amine (the Cliff Keen wrestler boasts an Olympic medal and a World Championships medal), the 2023 World Championships silver medalist Osman Nurmagomedov of Azerbaijan, the 2024 PanAm champ Ethan Ramos from Puerto Rico are also expected to make the bracket a highly contested one at this year’s Summer Olympics.

On the other hand, Brooks had to deal with more than the thought of who he had to face on the biggest stage. In May, the four-time Big Ten champ was at the center of attention after a doping rumor created turmoil among the fans and cast shadows on Aaron’s chances of making it to Paris with his head held high. However, Brooks was cleared of the allegations and now, he can focus on upping his skills to continue the legacy that the USA has carved out over the years in freestyle wrestling in international competitions.

Considering the tough work ahead, do you think Aaron Brooks has the possibility of achieving David Taylor’s feat at the grand showdown? Share your predictions with us!