Ending his career unceremoniously at the U.S. Olympic Trials didn’t sit well with David Taylor. Maybe that’s why even becoming the highest-paid wrestling coach in the U.S. didn’t satisfy the wrestling icon. So, despite the frowns of many wrestling fans who questioned his decision to return to competitive wrestling, the 33-year-old sought to end things on his terms.

Although a 0-7 sweep against Abdulrashid Sadulaev at the 2024 World Championships seemed to derail those plans, Taylor bounced back. Beating Abubakr Abakarov 3-1 and dominating Lars Schäfle 11-1, landed Taylor in a bronze medal bout against Kamran Ghasempour. “I just got an opportunity to go out the way I wanted to,” Taylor told Flo Wrestling as he fought to hold back tears.

Throughout his illustrious career, David Taylor established himself as one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in American history. So going out on a losing streak didn’t feel right for Magic Man. And maybe that motivated the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist to pull off an incredible comeback after Ghasempour gained the upper hand with a 2-point lead early on.

“You know, just didn’t want it to end the way it did in April. It didn’t necessarily mean I wanted to be here either… Just wanted to have the chance just to finish on my terms,” Taylor told Flo Wrestling, as he looked overwhelmed with emotion. The Oklahoma State wrestling coach also explained that after his early loss to Sadulaev, he looked to redeem himself.

“I felt like this was a chance at redemption,” Taylor said about facing Ghasempour and earning a place on the podium. David Taylor didn’t achieve his goal of defeating Abdulrashid Sadulaev despite being “hyper focused.” However, earning a bronze medal against another former world champion gave him the closure he had been looking for.

So it didn’t surprise anyone when the 5X World Championship medalist was true to his word of retiring after the World Championships. “Yeah, this is it… Between now and the world championships, it starts to hit you, the significance of what you’re balancing. It’s a lot.” Magic Man said on October 15, well ahead of the tournament. The wrestling coach had also revealed the feeling that compelled him to return despite his duties as head coach at Oklahoma.

David Taylor opened up on what brought him back to the mat

Magic Man sat down with Olympics.com for an exclusive interview just days ahead of the 2024 Wrestling World Championships. During the interview, the wrestling con revealed why he returned to competition only four months after initially announcing her retirement. “I think that being very successful your whole life, not performing very well at Trials is not the way I want to end my career,” said Taylor.

“Knowing that this is it for me and knowing that this is the last time I will wrestle, I want to compete on a level that I’m happy with,” the five-time World Championship medalist told Olympic.com. Going out on a losing streak at a national level competition ate at the champion inside David Taylor. So, the wrestling icon came into the World Championships with the mentality to enjoy his time on the international stage.

“Win or lose, I want to compete at that level so that I know I’m not holding on to something, and no what-ifs. I just want to be present in the moment and enjoy feeling excited,” added Magic Man. Well, after his post-bronze medal-winning speech, it would be safe to assume that Taylor has finally left competitive wrestling behind without any regrets. Now, the head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys is finally ready to truly embrace his role as Coach Taylor.