David Taylor Loses Showdown First Match at 2024 World Championships, Alive for Bronze

STILLWATER – Wrestling in one of the first matches in the Men’s Freestyle at the 2024 World Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania, Oklahoma State head wrestling coach and longtime Penn State and USA Wrestling champion David Taylor took on a new weight at 92 kg and one of the best wrestlers in the World in Abdulrashid Sadulaev. Taylor lost by VPO 7-0 in the match.

Sadulaev, a Russian competing for Individual Neutral Athletes, scored four point in period one to lead 4-0 and then followed with three points in the second period to clinch the match. In wrestling, VPO stands for "victory by points" and is when a wrestler wins by points without their opponent scoring any points. 

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Taylor’s news conference earlier this month.

Taylor isn’t through as Sadulaev, the favorite in the bracket made it to the gold medal match on Thursday, so Taylor is now in the consolation repechage and will face Abubakr Abakarov of Azerbaijan. If he wins that match then he faces Benjamin Konrad Honis of Italy. Then with a win he moves into contention for third place and the bronze against Iranian Kamran Ghorban Ghasempour

Taylor’s marathon march to the bronze begins at 10 a.m. central time on Thursday morning.

Taylor said in a press conference at Oklahoma State earlier this month that this would be his last tournament as a competitor. Taylor will be back next week to continue leading his OSU team into the 2024-35 season.