Heavyweight, Freestyle (>87 kg), Men

American Harry Steel was a big ole’ country boy who had no international experience. He was the 1924 Big Ten collegiate champion but had finished third at the US trials, and only was asked to go to Paris when John MacKay, runner-up at the trials, could not make the trip. In Paris, Steel worked with the formidable American lightweight Robin Reed, who taught him a number of moves. In a small field of only 11 wrestlers, Steel won three matches after a first-round bye, winning the final and the gold medal by decisioning Sweden’s Ernst Nilsson, a bronze medalist in this event at Antwerp.

Nilsson then lost again in the second-place Bergvall tournament to Swiss Henri Wernli, who went on to the silver medal. The bronze medal went to Britain’s Archie MacDonald, who didn’t do much to earn it. MacDonald had an opening round bye and then lost by fall to Steel. In the second-place tournament he had another opening round bye, then was decisioned by Wernli in the silver medal match. In the third-place tournament everybody else withdrew so MacDonald won both his matches by walkover. Thus he had two matches in Paris, lost them both, and went home with a bronze medal.