For Penn State wrestling legend David Taylor, there are two competitors at next month’s Olympics in Paris that are above the rest of the field at 86KG.
Taylor is unique in that he’s wrestled them both.
As all Penn State wrestling fans should know, Taylor took on Aaron Brooks in the best-of-three finals at April’s Olympic Trials in Happy Valley, with Brooks sweeping the series to move to Paris.
Taylor also has a history with the man many feel favored to win Gold.
Iran’s Hassan Yazdani is an Olympic Gold Medalist, winning at the Rio Games in 2016, and he’s hardly a one-hit wonder. The 29-year-old took silver at the Tokoyo games in 2021 and is also a three-time World Champion and six-time medalist.
The man who stopped him from winning a second Gold Medal was Taylor, who beat Yazdani in the finals. Yazdani got a measure of revenge months later at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway.
Taylor ended the series with a 5-1 record. In May, he retired from competition and became the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State.
So considering Taylor’s history with Yazdani in freestyle and his relationship with Brooks, who he worked for years in the same room with as a member of Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, he’s a pretty good guy to weigh in on this potential clash.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“It’s tough to say, obviously,” Taylor told Christian Pyles of FloWrestling. Yazdani has dominated the world for a long time, and a lot of these guys have never seen Aaron before. They both have some similarities. Obviously, Aaron is extremely dynamic, Yazdani’s confidence wrestling people is through the roof. So I just think, they’re both going to have to figure things out. They’re both going to prepare, they should be preparing for each other. I think there’s a separation between those two guys and the rest of the world, but it’s the Olympics. Everyone’s going to be prepared to be there.”
David Taylor’s take on Aaron Brooks vs Hassan Yazdani pic.twitter.com/goxfRfsmhc
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) June 23, 2024
Taylor said he felt Yazdani was more relaxed in his last competition— the Budapest Ranking Series earlier this month— than he had been in a while.
Yazdani had previously been out eight months with a shoulder injury.
“He almost looked relieved,” Taylor said. “But obviously, Aaron is really good and he’s a fierce competitor. So, like everyone else, I’m looking forward to seeing the results.”
The Olympics will begin Friday, July 26 and run through Sunday, Aug. 11.
