How did Penn State great David Taylor do Saturday at the World Championships?

BUDAPEST—They say a magician never performs the same trick twice, but that’s exactly what David Taylor did on Saturday with a pair of miraculous come-from-behind wins to advance to the finals of the Senior World Championships in Budapest.

Taylor, dubbed “The Magic Man,” lived up to his moniker as he went 4-0 on the day, earning the two comeback wins against Iran’s highly touted Hassan Yazdani (11-6) and Russia’s Dauren Kurugliev (7-5). The former Nittany Lion also bested Hajy Rajabau (Belarus) in the second round 10-0 and Yurieski Torreblanca (Cuba) 8-0 in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal matchup against Kurugliev.

“I closed my eyes every single day for the last couple of years and told myself I was going to be a world champion,” Taylor said. “I get goosebumps every day when I think of that. I’m in that moment. I feel very lucky, very fortunate to compete alongside nine other amazing athletes (on Team USA).”

Some wondered if Taylor’s 2017 World Cup victory over reigning Olympic gold medalist Yazdani — one of the biggest names in the world of wrestling — was merely a fluke. On Saturday, they got their answer. After drawing Yazdani for a first-round rematch, Taylor wore down the Olympic champion to churn out the win, erasing any doubt about his dominance.

However, Yazdani looked every bit the Olympian as he imposed his will early on, forcing Taylor out of bounds in the opening minute before scoring a takedown for a 3-0 lead. Taylor stayed within striking distance by emerging from a scramble and shelving Yazdani’s left leg to receive a two-point exposure, narrowing Yazdani’s advantage to 3-2.

With a minute left before the break, Yazdani extended his lead to 6-2 by forcing Taylor out of bounds and notching a 2-point takedown. Although the Iranian standout appeared to be in control at the break, momentum began to shift in Taylor’s favor when action resumed.

Similar to their previous meeting, Yazdani started showing signs of heavy fatigue in the final minutes of regulation, which provided an opening for Taylor. Two successive takedowns later, and Taylor found himself with the lead.

“That was a war ... There was a long scramble and I just didn’t quit,” Taylor said. “I got the takedown. I was within one takedown, and I believe I can score one takedown. I just had to go out and get another one, and then just try to keep building my lead, as difficult as that may be.”

The victory was a prelude to Taylor’s impressive semifinal performance against Kurugliev, who like Yazdani, built an early lead only to see the Magic Man make it disappear into thin air.

Taylor trailed 5-1 at the break and was visibly shaken earlier in the match when Kurugliev inadvertently kicked the Penn State alum in the face, temporarily knocking him out. Taylor’s reserves and resolve didn’t fail him, however, and he proceeded to score back-to-back takedowns that knotted the score at 5 with 1:48 on the clock.

As with any great performer, Taylor saved his best trick for last by tallying yet another takedown with under 10 seconds left, sealing the win and advancing to the gold medal match.

“I think I was (knocked out) for a second,” Taylor said. “He kicked me in the face. I’ll trade being kicked in the face for a world championship tomorrow. Whatever. That was a freaking war.”

Taylor added that earning the late victories was a matter of maintaining a gritty mindset, irrespective of the score. “You just have to win the point … Even when they’re up, I have a reputation to wrestle hard and continue wrestling,” Taylor said. “One score creates the ball rolling. One score, one score and I can score from a lot of positions, so I’ve just got to keep wrestling”

Taylor will face top-seeded Fatih Erdin of Turkey for the gold medal. Erdin’s action looked clean in his 7-4 semifinal win over Spain’s Taimuraz Friev Naskidaeva.

“He’s very tricky,” Taylor noted. “It looked like he was drilling out there in the semis. He’s got a lot of really good talent. I just have to be ready to go, every single second, whistle to whistle.”

This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 11:38 AM.