After expressing doubt about World Championships participation David Taylor receives warm reception as he takes charge as head coach of OSU wrestling

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Sep 23, 2024 05:15 GMT

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Former Olympic champion David Taylor has embarked on a new journey in his life. He has recently taken over as the head coach of Oklahoma State University's wrestling program after former Olympic champion John Smith stepped down.

Taylor was recently greeted warmly by his fans, as well as the other members of Oklahoma State University after he officially took charge. OSU's official Instagram page also uploaded a couple of photos of the same, with the caption:

"Appreciate the love, Cowboy fans #GoPokes"

However, this move also raises doubts on whether David Taylor would be competing at the upcoming edition of the Wrestling World Championships. The veteran grappler himself expressed his thoughts recently in an interview as he said:

"Am I going to go to the World Championships? I don't know. I still got to talk to the team you, I got a lot of stuff going on. We (Oklahoma Cowboys) have got a lot of momentum and we want to be national champions. My responsibility (lies) there. My administration’s got to talk to them and we'll see if that's the right decision but right now I'm just happy to finish this way.”

David Taylor had recently qualified for the World Championships after an emphatic win at the World Championships trials. He was all set to represent the USA at the Paris Olympics for a second consecutive time. However, he lost to Aaron Brooks, who won the bronze medal for the USA at the Paris Olympics in men's freestyle wrestling [86kg. category], in the finals.

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David Taylor on taking charge as head coach of the Oklahoma State University wrestling program

David Taylor of the USA celebrates after winning the gold medal bout in men's freestyle wrestling [86kg.] at the Tokyo Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Only a month after the US Olympic trials, it was announced by Oklahoma State University that the 33-year-old David Taylor would take charge as the head coach after former head coach and former Olympic champion John Smith took retirement.

For the unversed, John Smith is one of the most respected freestyle wrestlers in the history of the USA, and the only male freestyle wrestler in the world who has won back to back Olympic gold medals.

David Taylor expressed his joy over the new job as he mentioned in an interview:

"It's an honor to be in this position and I'm extremely grateful. I'm looking forward to the future of Oklahoma State wrestling. It has an unbelievable tradition and I'm excited to be part of it moving forward. I've achieved everything I have wanted in my personal career, and this is no longer about me. I am just thrilled to be in the position to help others achieve their goals, and truly make an impact in the wrestling world and on the lives around me."

David Taylor further mentioned that he has a lot of tasks to do as the new head coach, adding:

"I’ve been down here for a short period of time, but I take a lot of pride in the program and what it represents. It’s an honor. Orange is a color that you should earn the right to wear, it’s not just a given thing. A lot of tradition comes with those colors, and I was just excited to be able to represent the university and the people that had done it before me.”

David Taylor has an Olympic gold medal, three gold medals at the World Championships [including one that he won at the previous edition held in Belgrade], three Pan American Championships gold medals, four Big Ten Championships gold medals, and two NCAA Division I championships gold medals to his credit.

Before Oklahoma State University, Taylor used to represent the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, owned by Pennsylvania State University.