Athlete Spotlight: David Taylor – Listen to the Olympics on iHeartRadio

If you’re wondering how to watch the Olympics, iHeartRadio is the place to go. iHeartRadio is the exclusive audio home of NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, making it the only place to watch the Olympics stream. You can listen to exclusive live coverage of Team USA using the free iHeart app. To celebrate, we’re spotlighting some of the country’s athletes competing for gold.

American wrestler David Taylorknown as the “Magic Man,” has had an illustrious career, from his early days as a high school champion to his recent victory at the Olympics. Taylor was born in Reno, Nevada and attended Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio, where he was a four-time state champion and posted an impressive record of 180–2. In 2009, he received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award as the best high school wrestler in the country.

Taylor attended Penn State University, where he worked under the 2004 Athens Olympic champion Cael Sanderson and won two NCAA Division I national championships. After graduating in 2015, Taylor devoted himself full-time to wrestling and won gold at the US Open that year. However, he faced strong competition from his old college rival Kyle Dakewho defeated him at the US Nationals and Olympic qualifiers in April 2016.

Despite these setbacks, Taylor continued to be successful in the 86 kg class, winning a third US Open title and his first Pan American title in 2018. His crowning success came at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he defeated his Iranian competitor. Hassan Yazdani and won the gold medal in the men’s freestyle competition up to 86 kg.

Taylor’s rivalry with Yazdani has been a defining feature of his career, with the two athletes frequently meeting in the finals of the World Championships. Although he lost to Yazdani at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Taylor reaffirmed his dominance at the 2022 World Championships in Belgrade, winning 7-1 to claim his second World Championship title.

Off the mat, Taylor is a dedicated family man. He and his wife, Kendrahave three daughters: London, ivyAnd little birdwho was born in January 2024. Although he recently retired from competitive wrestling, Taylor’s legacy in the sport remains strong and his achievements inspire the next generation of American wrestlers.

From exclusive NBC live coverage of Team USA to hourly live updates from the games to original podcasts about the Summer Games, you can listen to the Olympics stream exclusively on iHeartRadio. Learn more about how to listen.