How to watch Penn State’s David Taylor at his first Wrestling World Championships
Those who want to watch former Penn State great David Taylor wrestle in the biggest match of his first men’s senior freestyle Wrestling World Championships in Budapest, Hungary will have to set their alarms for early Saturday morning — 4:30, to be exact.
The State College resident will hit reigning world and Olympic champion Hassan Yazdanicharati, of Iran — a match many anticipated as the final at 86 kilograms — in the very first round of the tournament.
Despite what looks like a tough draw, Taylor, known by fans as “the Magic Man,” is welcoming the challenge.
“Let’s fricken go!” He tweeted shortly after his bracket dropped. “When I saw the draw — my heart starting pounding and a big smile across my face. Tomorrow, I will compete for the opportunity to be the best in the world! Man, this so so awesome! Set your Alarms for 430 am!”
The last time the two met was in the 2017 World Cup final match in Iran, when Taylor came from behind to pin Yazdani.
For that win, along with defeating two other Olympic medalists, Taylor was labeled “unquestionably the wrestler of the tournament” by FloWrestling, and as the United States’ “hero.”
The Iranian, however, has not lost since then.
For his own part, Taylor has since become one of the most dominant wrestlers for Team USA, becoming just the 12th American man to win the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, helping the U.S. win its first World Cup since 2003 by winning each of his four matches by technical fall, and pinning his way through Turkey’s Yasar Dogu International tournament.
Those who can wake up early enough Saturday can watch the preliminary rounds of the World Championships can watch live from 4:30-9:30 a.m. EST by streaming on TrackWrestling.com, with a $30 subscription. Semifinals are from 10:45-11:45 a.m.
If Taylor makes it to the finals, fans can watch live on TrackWrestling from 1-3:30 p.m., or on NBC’s Olympic Channel, which is channel 822 for State College-area Xfinity customers. Finals will also be aired again at midnight on NBCSN, which can also be streamed on NBCSports.com or the NBC Sports app.
The repechage round is from 4:30-9:30 a.m. Sunday on TrackWrestling.
Sportswriter Nick Wilson will be covering Taylor’s quest for his first world title live in Budapest for the Centre Daily Times, and will be tweeting updates from @NT_Wilson.
World Wrestling Championships 2018
When: 4:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Saturday: preliminary rounds (TrackWrestling); 10:45-11:45 a.m. Saturday: semifinals (TrackWrestling); 4:30-9:30 a.m. Sunday: Repechage (TrackWrestling); 1-3:30 p.m. Sunday: finals (TrackWrestling/Olympic Channel)
Where: Laszlo Papp Budapest Sports Arena, Budapest, Hungary
How to watch/stream online: All sessions will be available on TrackWrestling.com (paid subscription required). The finals will be broadcast on NBC’s Olympic Channel, and encore coverage is available via NBCSN, NBCSN.com or the NBC Sports app.
How to follow along on Twitter: @NT_Wilson, @wrestling, @USAWrestling, @trackwrestling, @NIttanyLionWC, @magicman_psu
This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 5:36 PM.