| | Event type

Heavyweight, Freestyle (>87 kg), Men

Date	20 – 23 July 1952
Status	Olympic
Location	Messuhalli I, Helsinki / Messuhalli II, Helsinki
Participants	13 from 13 countries
Format	Win by fall = 0 points; win by decision = 1 point; loss of any type = 3 points. Three judges gave decisions, thus all decisions were either 2-1 or 3-0. Five bad points eliminated a wrestler. When only three wrestlers remained, if they had not yet met one another, they wrestled further rounds. Medal placements were determined by the match record among the medalists, with bad points as a tie breaker. A wrestler in the medal rounds could continue with 5 or more bad points.

Sweden’s Bertil Antonsson was favored. He was the defending silver medalist and had won the 1946 and 1949 Europeans and 1951 World Championship. After four rounds the finalists were determined, with Antonsson joined by Soviet Arsen Mek’ok’ishvili, and Britain’s Ken Richmond. Antonsson met Mek’ok’ishvili first with the Soviet winning a split decision. As he had defeated Richmond in round three, this brought Mek’ok’ishvili the gold medal. Antonsson then defeated Richmond by fall in 9:22 to secure the silver medal, bronze going to Richmond.

Mek’ok’ishvili would also win the 1954 World Championships, again defeating Antonsson, who added another silver. Mek’ok’ishvili started wrestling in the traditional Georgian style of chidaoba, winning the 1934 Georgian title in that style, but was also one the greatest sambo wrestlers, a style unique to the Soviet Union, especially in the Asian and Caucasus regions. Richmond would be the most famous of the 1952 Olympic wrestlers, as he was later a bodybuilder, but he also had a strongman act, and was most well-known as the shirtless muscleman who rang the gong at the beginning of J. Arthur Rank films.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Medalists Match Record / Round Eliminated	Bad Points
1	139	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	2-0	–	Gold
2	214	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	1-1	–	Silver
3	71	Ken Richmond	GBR	0-2	–	Bronze
4	294	İrfan Atan	TUR	–	–
5	355	Bill Kerslake	USA	–	–
6	–	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	–	–
AC	80	Natale Vecchi	ITA	eliminated r4/6	6
AC	238	Willi Waltner	GER	eliminated r4/6	7
AC	59	Ahad Vafadar	IRI	eliminated r2/6	5
AC	6	Adolfo Ramírez	ARG	eliminated r2/6	6
AC	21	Auguste Baarendse	BEL	eliminated r2/6	6
AC	324	József Kovács	HUN	eliminated r2/6	6
AC	276	Josef Růžička	TCH	eliminated r2/6	6
DNS	262	Jaako Virta	FIN	–	–
DNS	72	Len Pidduck	GBR	–	–
DNS	325	Gyula Bóbis	HUN	–	–
DNS	323	László Soltész	HUN	–	–
DNS	215	Bengt Fahlkvist	SWE	–	–
DNS	211	L. Y. G. Carlsson	SWE	–	–
DNS	138	Johannes Kotkas	URS	–	–
DNS	354	Herbert Haberlach	USA	–	–

Round One

Date	20 July 1952

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points
=1	–	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	0
=1	71	Ken Richmond	GBR	0
=1	238	Willi Waltner	GER	0
=1	214	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	0
=1	294	İrfan Atan	TUR	0
=1	139	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	0
7	80	Natale Vecchi	ITA	1
=8	6	Adolfo Ramírez	ARG	3
=8	21	Auguste Baarendse	BEL	3
=8	324	József Kovács	HUN	3
=8	59	Ahad Vafadar	IRI	3
=8	276	Josef Růžička	TCH	3
=8	355	Bill Kerslake	USA	3

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	20 Jul	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	Fall (6:05)	József Kovács	HUN
Match #2	20 Jul	Ken Richmond	GBR	Fall (5:01)	Adolfo Ramírez	ARG
Match #3	20 Jul	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	Fall (7:26)	Josef Růžička	TCH
Match #4	20 Jul	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	Fall (11:16)	Ahad Vafadar	IRI
Match #5	20 Jul	İrfan Atan	TUR	Fall (10:11)	Bill Kerslake	USA
Match #6	20 Jul	Natale Vecchi	ITA	Decision (3-0)	Auguste Baarendse	BEL
Match #7	20 Jul	Willi Waltner	GER

Round Two

Date	21 July 1952

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
=1	–	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	0	–
=1	214	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	0	–
=3	71	Ken Richmond	GBR	1	–
=3	80	Natale Vecchi	ITA	1	–
=3	294	İrfan Atan	TUR	1	–
=3	139	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	1	–
=7	238	Willi Waltner	GER	3	–
=7	355	Bill Kerslake	USA	3	–
=9	59	Ahad Vafadar	IRI	6	eliminated
=9	6	Adolfo Ramírez	ARG	6	eliminated
=9	21	Auguste Baarendse	BEL	6	eliminated
=9	324	József Kovács	HUN	6	eliminated
=9	276	Josef Růžička	TCH	6	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	21 Jul	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	Decision (3-0)	Willi Waltner	GER
Match #2	21 Jul	Ken Richmond	GBR	Decision (3-0)	József Kovács	HUN
Match #3	21 Jul	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	Fall (3:00)	Adolfo Ramírez	ARG
Match #4	21 Jul	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	Fall (2:20)	Josef Růžička	TCH
Match #5	21 Jul	İrfan Atan	TUR	Decision (2-1)	Ahad Vafadar	IRI
Match #6	21 Jul	Bill Kerslake	USA	Fall (10:23)	Auguste Baarendse	BEL
Match #7	21 Jul	Natale Vecchi	ITA

Round Three

Date	22 July 1952

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points
1	214	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	1
2	139	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	2
=3	–	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	3
=3	355	Bill Kerslake	USA	3
=5	71	Ken Richmond	GBR	4
=5	80	Natale Vecchi	ITA	4
=5	294	İrfan Atan	TUR	4
8	238	Willi Waltner	GER	4

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	22 Jul	Willi Waltner	GER	Decision (2-1)	Natale Vecchi	ITA
Match #2	22 Jul	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	Decision (2-1)	Ken Richmond	GBR
Match #3	22 Jul	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	Decision (2-1)	İrfan Atan	TUR
Match #4	22 Jul	Bill Kerslake	USA	Fall (2:38)	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN

Round Four

Date	23 July 1952

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
=1	214	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	2	–
=1	139	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	2	–
3	71	Ken Richmond	GBR	4	–
4	294	İrfan Atan	TUR	5	eliminated
5	355	Bill Kerslake	USA	6	eliminated
6	–	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN	6	eliminated
=7	80	Natale Vecchi	ITA	7	eliminated
=7	238	Willi Waltner	GER	7	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	23 Jul	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	Fall (4:10	Natale Vecchi	ITA
Match #2	23 Jul	Ken Richmond	GBR	Fall (1:32)	Willi Waltner	GER
Match #3	23 Jul	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	Decision (2-1)	Bill Kerslake	USA
Match #4	23 Jul	İrfan Atan	TUR	Decision (3-0)	Taisto Kangasniemi	FIN

Round Five

Date	23 July 1952

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points
1	139	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	3
2	71	Ken Richmond	GBR	4
3	214	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	5

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	23 Jul	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS	Decision (2-1)	Bertil Antonsson	SWE
Match #2	23 Jul	Ken Richmond	GBR

Final Round

Date	23 July 1952

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	23 Jul	Bertil Antonsson	SWE	Fall (9:22)	Ken Richmond	GBR
Match #2	23 Jul	Arsen Mek'ok'ishvili	URS