What happens when the beloved “Magic Man’s” magic fails? David Taylor has a history of leaving the world dumbfounded numerous times. With a career flooded with gold medals and records, his journey from Reno, Nevada to international mats has been extraordinary, to say the least.

Taylor’s college journey was an equally surprising one! Did you know he has won two NCAA championships? During his time at Penn State, he took home two Golds in 2012 and 2014. He soon followed this with multiple performances on the world stage, where he stacked up four gold medals and a silver. But like every other good story, there is a twist here too! This wrestling prodigy is nowhere to be seen at the Paris Olympics. Did he fall off the rails? Or is it as they say ‘the brightest stars burn the fastest’?

David Taylor’s shocking end to a dominant year

David Taylor’s setback shocked the world! Despite dominating the year, the Olympic trials proved to be anything but a cakewalk. The 33-year-old wrestler faced a tough challenge from his own Penn State successor, Aaron Brooks. Taylor faltered at a crucial moment, losing the first match 4-1. He then lost the second bout 3-1, leaving the crowd at Bryce Jordan Center and fans worldwide in utter disbelief!

“Yeah, it’s tough. I think you’ve competed at a high level, you’ve been competing at a high level for a long time, and the margin of error at that level was small. And on that day, it just wasn’t,” said Taylor in an interview post-loss. But what was it that Taylor lacked? Taylor himself answers this, “A lot of it comes down to, comes down to the fire and drive. In wrestling it’s a fine line between being the best in your country and being the best in the world. There’s not a lot of things that separate that. Fire is probably the biggest one.” This loss has left Taylor out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. As the lights fade it’s time for the magic to end and the star to exit the stage. Despite all the downfalls, the character arc of the “magic man” cannot go unmentioned!

Ups and downs of David Taylor’s journey

Before the sudden halt in his career, David Taylor was on an upward trajectory. He began his journey at Graham High School in Reno, Nevada, where he won the OHSAA state championship four times, setting a high standard. His success continued during his college years at Penn State, where he trained under coach Cael Sanderson and achieved an equally impressive record by winning two NCAA championships.

Post-college, the magic of the “magic man” continued to spread. Despite his early setbacks against rivals like Kyle Dake and J’den Cox, his will to win never faltered. He went on to win the World Championship in 2018, 2022, and 2023. But who can forget his Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020? He had a rather dramatic win against Iranian wrestler Hassan Yazdani.

David Taylor and Hassan Yazdani have crafted a thrilling wrestling rivalry that’s nothing short of a blockbuster series! Their story began in Paris in 2017, where Taylor defeated Yazdani and went on to win World Championship gold. However, the narrative took a twist in the 2021 World Championship, where Taylor settled for his first silver medal after Yazdani defeated him 6-2 in the final. Despite this setback, Taylor rebounded strongly, clinching gold medals in both 2022 and 2023 in Belgrade. When Yazdani and Taylor face off on the mat, it’s always a must-watch spectacle!

The years leading up to Paris were marked not only by brilliant victories but also by significant personal milestones. He joined Oklahoma State University as a coach and became a proud father of three children. While these changes undoubtedly brought new challenges, the question remains: Did the ‘fire’ in him die out, or did it simply evolve? “That lifelong journey…and this year, I had three kids, and I had different irons in the fire, and I think that kind of caught up to me at the trials,” added Taylor. Even the greatest world champions have moments of vulnerability. As he steps into a brand new chapter of his life, the world wonders if this is just another one of the “Magic Man’s” tricks.