David Taylor suffers shock defeat to Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev in opening round at 2024 World Wrestling Championships

David Taylor suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Russian wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev earlier today. The two faced off in the opening round of the 92kg competition at the 2024 World Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania. The American will be out from the tournament if Sadulaev fails to qualify for the finals.

Taylor announced his retirement from competitive wrestling earlier this year after failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was the defending champion in the men's 86 Kg category but lost to NCAA champion Aaron Brooks at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

The 33-year-old later joined the University of Oklahoma as head coach before coming out of retirement for the 2024 World Wrestling Championships, where he had the chance to get his long-awaited fight against Sadulaev. Taylor had called out the Russian for a fight in 2020, which materialized four years later in Albania.

However, it turned out to be a disappointing outing for Taylor, who was heavily dominated by Sadulaev through the match. He lost 7-0 to the Russian wrestler and is out of contention for gold and silver medals. However, The 33-year-old will be in the repechage round if Sadulaev qualifies for the finals.

Taylor has three world titles to his name, and these championships would have been a perfect opportunity for him to bow out with a fourth title. Notwithstanding his defeat, the 33-year-old remains one of the greatest wrestlers to have represented the USA.

---

What's next for David Taylor after the World Championships?

Wrestling Senior World Championships Belgrade 2023 - David Taylor in action (Source: Getty)

With his journey almost over at the 2024 World Wrestling Championships, David Taylor is expected to return to coaching at Oklahoma University after the competition. Speaking at a press conference earlier, the 33-year-old confirmed that Worlds would be his final event of the year.

Taylor said (via NBC),

“This is it. Yeah, this is it,"

He also spoke about balancing the Oklahoma coaching responsibilities and preparations for the World Championships.

“Between now and the world championships, it starts to hit you, the significance of what you’re balancing. It’s a lot.”

The 33-year-old also shared that the idea of competing at the 2024 World Championships came to him after Adulrashid Sadulaev announced his participation.

While he didn't get his desired result from the bout, Taylor will be proud of himself for coming out of his retirement and back on the mat for the fight.