CLEARFIELD – United States Army Specialist Timothy R. Taylor of Clearfield, one of the nation\’s top-ranked Greco-Roman heavyweights, will be wrestling in the freestyle discipline Wednesday for the U.S. Armed Forces Team at the 4th Military World Games in Hyderabad, India.
A member of Army\’s World Class Athlete Program based in Colorado Springs, Colo, Taylor will compete at 264.5 pounds (120 kilograms).
He earned the freestyle gold medal for the second year in a row at the Armed Forces Championships in March with three victories that helped the All-Army Team win its sixth consecutive title. He won by injury default in 1:46 against Navy\’s LeRoy Gardner, teched the Air Force\’s Brenden McLean 6-0, 7-0 and pinned the Marine Corps\’ Christopher Biggs in 19 seconds.
Taylor, who wrestles freestyle only for the U.S. Armed Forces Team, joined more than 5,000 military athletes from 101 countries participated in Sunday night\’s 3-1/2-hour Opening Ceremonies, patterned after the pageantry of the Olympic Games with music and dance, before a crowd of 30,000 at Gachibowli Stadium.
Considered the biggest multi-sport international event of the year, the games are conducted every four years by the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM), which operates under the motto of \”Friendship Through Sports.\” The uniqueness of the event can be measured from the fact that some nations that are otherwise in conflict with each other get together and compete in the true spirit of sportsmanship.
CISM conducts competition in more than 20 sports each year at different locations around the world. Wrestling is being conducted for the 25th time, and the United States will be one of 30 countries represented with a five-man Greco-Roman team and a seven-man Freestyle team.
Head coach Rob Hermann, former U. S. Olympic coach and head coach of the Navy since 1982, said, \”For some of these wrestlers, this is their Olympics. With others, it\’s a good chance to get some international matches at this level.\”
Taylor is a 2000 graduate of Clearfield Area High School, where he was the Bison\’s heavyweight for four years and also played football three seasons.
He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served four years, including seven months with the First Marine Division in the invasion of Iraq.
While in the USMC, Taylor turned to Greco-Roman wrestling and finished eighth at the 2002 U.S. Nationals, sixth at the 2004 U.S. Nationals and fourth at the 2004 U.S. Olympic team Trials.
A year after his discharge, Taylor enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and was assigned to WCAP, which enables Army athletes to practice and train for competition at the highest national and international levels.
At the 2007 U.S. Nationals in April, Taylor upset No. 1-ranked and fellow WCAP wrestler Dremiel Byers for the first time in four tries and ended up second, losing to Russ Davie in the finals.
Taylor placed third in the U.S. World Team Trials at Las Vegas in June, losing to Byers in the semifinals. Byers went on to earn a bronze medal that locked up the first World Games championship by a U.S. Greco-Roman Team.
Taylor is the son of Timothy S. and Carmella (Toto) Taylor of Clearfield and is married to the former Kristen Ogden of Clearfield.
