David Taylor Makes Penn State History at the Tokyo Olympics
U.S. wrestler David Taylor, among the most decorated Penn State athletes in history, lived up to his "Magic Man" nickname once again to win his first Olympic gold medal Thursday in Tokyo. He also made history for Penn State wrestling.
Taylor scored a takedown with 15 seconds remaining to defeat Hassan Yazdani of Iran 4-3 in the 86kg men's freestyle championship match to become the first Penn State wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal. He also became the first Penn State wrestler to win any medal for the United States.
A two-time NCAA champion, Taylor won the 16th gold medal among athletes with ties to Penn State at either the Summer or Winter Olympics.
Thomas Gilman, who like Taylor competes for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, won bronze in the 57kg men's freestyle with a 9-1 victory over Reza Atri or Iran. Helen Maroulis, who trained with the NLWC and competed with Sunkist Kids in Tokyo, won her second Olympic medal, taking bronze in the women's 57kg freestyle.
Taylor's breathtaking victory over Yazdani was his third since 2017, continuing his control of one of the sport's better recent rivalries. Taylor previously defeated Yazdani at the 2017 World Cup and during his 2018 run to the world championship. Yazdani is a two-time world champ and defending Olympic gold medalist at 74 kg.
Yazdani took a 2-0 lead in the final on penalty points, but Taylor tied the match on a takedown with 2 minutes remaining. Trailing 3-2 after allowing another point, Taylor hit a late shot to secure his second takedown and Olympic gold.
NBC wrestling analyst Jordan Burroughs called Taylor's takedown "one of his best tricks ever" and predicted that this gold was just the beginning.
"If he can maintain his focus after such a life-changing event, and not be distracted by the glitz and the glamour with what comes alongside being an Olympic champion, and he can refocus himself, I think the sky's the limit," Burroughs said on the Olympic Channel broadcast. "He's got a lot more of these gold medals to win."
Taylor, competing in his first Olympics, made a dominant run to the gold-medal match. He won his first three bouts all by technical superiority in a combined score of 33-2.
Photo: Mandi Wright, USA Today Sports
Penn State has a unique Olympic wrestling history, which the university cataloged in a recent historical project.
At the 1924 Summer Games in Paris, Katsutoshi Naito, the university's first Japanese student, became Penn State's first Olympic wrestling medalist when he won bronze representing his home country of Japan. According to Penn State, Naito earned the first Olympic medal for Japan "despite injuring his hand while training on the ocean crossing to France."
Three wrestlers with Penn State ties have won gold medals, but none competed for the university. Lou Banach, who earned his MBA at Penn State after wrestling for Iowa, claimed freestyle gold at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Cael Sanderson, who has coached Penn State to eight NCAA team championships since becoming head wrestling coach in 2010, won freestyle gold in 2004 in Athens. And assistant wrestling coach Jake Varner claimed an Olympic freestyle title in London in 2012.
Taylor had a legendary career at Penn State, winning two national championships and reaching the NCAA finals four times. He won the Hodge Award as the top college wrestler in 2011 and '13.
Taylor finished his Penn State career with a 134-3 record, ranking second in program history for winning percentage (97.81). He also went 63-0 in dual meets for the Lions.
To qualify for the U.S. team, Taylor defeated fellow former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal 4-0 and 6-0 in the final series of the Olympic Trials. The second match was scoreless until Taylor opened up a 3-0 lead midway through the opening period. Taylor carried that advantage into the second period for the 6-0 win.
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