USA’s 3x Wrestling World Champion Asserts His Status as the Most “Dominant Wrestler” in the Sport as He Heads Into Olympic Year

The U.S. Men’s Wrestling team emerged as the undisputed winners in the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade. Securing a total of 9 medals and a total of 148 points, the wrestlers consistently made the leaderboard and brought home the team victory for the second consecutive year. The competition was tough, and the strong Iranian team was catching up fast. At this crucial moment, one U.S. wrestling paragon pulled out a hidden move and gave the team a huge lift on the scoreboard.

A former Penn State University athlete remarkably won his third world title in Belgrade and led his national team to worldwide recognition. The wrestler earned the full 90-point qualifying score for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which has filled him with unusual confidence.

David Taylor beams with confidence after wrestling triumph

David Taylor faced off against Iranian rival Hassan Yazdani, who put up a fierce fight. During their six-minute duel for the 86 kg world title, both athletes went neck and neck until the last few seconds on the clock. At 5:57 on the stop clock, Taylor pinned Yazdani with an astonishing evasion maneuver and sealed his victory. The wrestling ace was fired up after his win and made a statement to the media to display his exhilaration.

He said, “I’m the most dynamic, dominant wrestler the sport’s ever seen”. His performance has strengthened the team’s hope for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Team USA wrote a post on X to commemorate his victory that read, “Champion mindset 🥇@magicman_psu heads into the Olympic year as the reigning world champion”. 

David Taylor is not leaving anything to chance and is already preparing rigorously for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers. He has a bye to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Finals, where he hopes to secure a berth on the U.S. Olympic team. This victory has set him up with the hope of reviving his Olympic dreams and clinching the gold once again. Significantly, Taylor is not alone on this path, as two other American wrestling world champions are walking the same path as him.

Vito Arujau and Zain Retherford on a similar trail as David Taylor

Vito Arujau claimed the 61 kg world title, trouncing former Russian World Champion Abasgadzi Magomadov in a 10-9 score. Both wrestlers were in their peak form, and their showdown made for a thrilling match. Arujau applied all his prowess at the last minute and took his rival by surprise. Magomadov failed to retaliate and conceded the title to the American wrestling pro. David Taylor’s fellow PSU teammate, Zain Retherford, won the third gold for the team in the 70 kg weight class.

Read More: USA’s David Taylor’s Masterful Evasion Foils Iranian Wrestler’s Lethal Maneuver, Propels Him to Golden Glory in Wrestling World Championship

Retherford had won the national championships three times, but the world title had eluded him so far. He came close to winning the gold in the 2022 World Wrestling Championships but was narrowly defeated in the finals. Now that he has accomplished this goal, he has moved on to a loftier ambition.

However, if he wants to win more glory as the Olympic Champion, he will have to move up to the 74 kg weight class or dip to the 65 kg weight class. Nevertheless, with three world champions preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the chances for the American wrestling team just got even better.

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