David Taylor spent an enormous a part of the previous 12 years making ready for the Olympics, and he lastly realized his dream of profitable a gold medal when he stormed by way of the competitors through the 2020 Video games in Tokyo.
Because the 2024 Olympics crept nearer, Taylor was as soon as once more a heavy favourite to symbolize the USA in freestyle wrestling, with designs on capturing a second straight gold medal. Nonetheless, that pursuit ended when Taylor suffered a shocking upset to fellow Penn State alum Aaron Brooks in back-to-back matches throughout April’s U.S. Olympic trials.
Previous to the Olympic trials, Taylor teased an curiosity in probably pursuing a future in MMA after his wrestling profession was completed. However quite than preventing and even wrestling any longer, Taylor as a substitute not too long ago accepted the pinnacle teaching job at Oklahoma State to exchange legendary American wrestler John Smith, who retired after 33 years on the job.
For Taylor, who had each intention of profitable one other gold medal after which considering a future that presumably concerned preventing, it was solely upon self-reflection following the U.S. Olympic trials that he realized it was time for his athletic profession to come back to an finish.
“I’ve at all times stated I’d compete so long as I had the fireplace,” Taylor informed MMA Combating. “This 12 months, that fireside began to only sort of go away. I’ve achieved every part I wished to realize in my profession. You begin off and also you wish to be a very good wrestler, then you definately set your targets — and I had the very best purpose of being an Olympic gold medalist. Being a nationwide champion, being a world champion, being an Olympic gold medalist, it’s laborious to proceed to recreate that fireside each single 12 months.
“I used to be 33 years previous. I had achieved every part I wished to realize. I bought a younger household, so this 12 months was a problem to seek out that fireside on a regular basis.”
That truth hit him like a hammer when he arrived on the U.S. Olympic trials, which passed off in his yard at State School, Penn., the place he was a two-time NCAA champion at Penn State.
As a 2020 Olympic champion, Taylor solely needed to compete within the finals, nevertheless it wasn’t till he set foot on the mats to face Brooks that he knew one thing simply felt completely different.
“After I competed on the Olympic trials, I simply didn’t compete with the fireplace that I at all times had,” Taylor stated. “So I believe I used to be unhappy and pissed off to lose, clearly, as a result of that’s simply not one thing I’ve been accustomed to doing, but in addition understanding, perhaps that is the top of it for me from a aggressive standpoint.”
A few weeks after the Olympic trials ended, Taylor acquired a name that Oklahoma State was desirous about pursuing him as the pinnacle coach of their program.
As a result of teaching requires a lot time and dedication, particularly one as storied as Oklahoma State, Taylor knew he had to choose to both proceed competing or successfully go away his wrestling sneakers in the course of the mat and name it a profession.
“I believe quite a lot of issues in life are timing based mostly, and I used to be at that crossroads of determining what I used to be going to do,” Taylor stated. “I wouldn’t say what’s subsequent, as a result of I at all times had an excellent plan. I knew what was subsequent. My life in State School, my spouse and I, we launched a pair companies, a profitable wrestling membership, quite a lot of livelihood and quite a lot of what I used to be doing was revolved exterior of really wrestling and competing. Wrestling and competing is what I did and I cherished to do this, however I had quite a lot of different entities that I did to help my household. So it wasn’t like I used to be at a crossroads of like, ‘What am I going to do?’ It was simply making a alternative.
“When this job got here obtainable, quite than doing three or 4 various things, this can be a nice alternative to do one factor. And it’s a job that requires quite a lot of time and vitality, however I believe that I used to be placed on this Earth to educate and to mentor folks, and to make use of my profession for example and the best way to suppose and compete, and the chance try this now on the highest degree with the most effective athletes. I believe to attract an finish to my profession, it’s nonetheless a bit of bizarre to consider not competing anymore, however I’ve a resurgence of vitality and pleasure once I come into the room that I didn’t have a few months in the past once I was competing.”
After receiving the job provide, Taylor reached out to his coach Cael Sanderson — an Olympic gold medalist in his personal proper who has turn out to be probably the most profitable coach in school wrestling — and informed him that he was retiring from competitors to take over at Oklahoma State.
It didn’t take lengthy after that dialog for Taylor to get the ball rolling in his new gig. After relocating his household, he instantly started working to take the Cowboys to the identical heights he reached a number of occasions throughout his personal profession.
Whereas he’s not leaving his personal blood, sweat, and tears on the mats as a wrestler, Taylor guarantees that aggressive fireplace is burning hotter than ever now that he has a brand new goal in life.
“I’ve by no means carried out something in my life to attempt to get second place or simply to compete,” Taylor stated. “I’ve carried out it to attempt to compete on the highest degree. As a coach, there’s no competitors for the most effective coach. The competitors is the way to serve your athletes the most effective, and the way to assist your athletes carry out at their greatest and assist the athletes turn out to be the most effective at what they’re attempting to do. So that you’re competing in another way.
“Having peace in my profession, I’ve no intention to must reside vicariously by way of an athlete or by way of anyone else. I’ve peace. I did all this stuff and now it’s serving to them.”
