"I started to feel that again"- After being unsure about his participation, David Taylor confirms his appearance at the Wrestling World Championships

After some early uncertainty, David Taylor has confirmed that he will indeed be participating at the 2024 Wrestling World Championships. The wrestler will be gunning for a fourth World title and fifth overall medal.

For Taylor, 2024 has been a season of major changes. His year began on a low note when he lost the US Olympic Trials, subsequently losing the opportunity to defend his 2021 Olympic gold medal. Soon after the Trials, the American announced his retirement from the sport, taking up the role of head coach at Oklahoma State University.

However, just a few months after this announcement, Taylor stepped out of retirement to compete at the World Team Trials in September. While in Omaha, he was phenomenal, clinching the win and a berth in the Senior World Team in dominant fashion. However, after the Trials, David Taylor told the media he was unsure of his participation at the World Championships, citing his responsibilities as the head coach of OSU, as he stated,

“Am I going to go to the World Championships? I don't know. I still got to talk to the team, 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."

Now, the Tokyo gold medalist has confirmed that he will participate in the Championships later this month.

“When you have that fire to do something, it’s such a small window in wrestling. And I started to feel that again. Shoot, if I have it, I think this is a really good opportunity for OSU wrestling, I think it’s a great opportunity to be competing in a World Championship. It just kind of happened pretty naturally,” he was quoted as saying by the Pistols Firing Blog.

For their part, Oklahoma State University is also supportive of Taylor's decision.

“I think it’s a great thing any time that we can put the brand of the programme out in the wrestling world. For our team here to see him competing and doing the things to get ready to compete, it only makes what’s happening in our room better,” OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said.

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When and how to watch David Taylor in action at the Wrestling World Championships

Wrestling Senior World Championships Belgrade 2023 - Source: Getty

David Taylor’s campaign at the 2024 Wrestling World Championships will begin on Wednesday, October 30 with the opening rounds. Semifinals are scheduled to take place later the same day, while the repechage rounds and finals are slated for Thursday. Here is what Taylor's schedule at the Championships will look like:

Wednesday, October 30

8:00 AM - Weigh-in and Medical Examination

14:00 PM - Qualification Rounds

17:00 PM - Semifinals

Thursday, October 31

7:30 AM - Weigh In

16:00 PM - Repechage Rounds

18:00 PM - Finals

Fans in America excited to watch David Taylor in action can tune into FloWrestling for a live stream of the competition.