American David Taylor lost to Russian Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the first round of the world championships in a match between Olympic gold medalists and formerly two of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers.
Sadulaev blanked Taylor 7-0 in Taylor’s final career tournament in Tirana, Albania, to advance in the 92kg division. Taylor can be pulled back into the repechage, and a chance at a bronze medal, if Sadulaev reaches the final.
These world championships are for non-Olympic weight classes. Wrestlers who competed at the Paris Games are not eligible.
Taylor, 33, was denied the chance to defend his Tokyo Olympic 86kg title in Paris due to losing in the Olympic Trials finals in April to Aaron Brooks.
He then retired to take the Oklahoma State head coaching job, then unretired (while still coaching the Cowboys), qualified for the world team and announced this will be his last competition.
Sadulaev, 28, was not among the Russians invited to compete in the Paris Olympics by an IOC panel that determined neutral athlete eligibility. None of the invited wrestlers from Russia ended up competing at the Games.
Sadulaev won Olympic gold in Rio at 86kg and in Tokyo at 97kg, plus two world titles at each weight between 2014 and 2019.
All of the men’s freestyle medal matches at worlds are Thursday.
The U.S. team also includes 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs, who owns an American record seven combined Olympic and world titles. Burroughs won his first 79kg match at worlds later Wednesday.
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