| | Event type

Welterweight, Freestyle (≤73 kilograms), Men

Date	1 – 6 September 1960
Status	Olympic
Location	Basilica di Massenzio, Roma
Participants	23 from 23 countries
Format	Scoring by negative points, with negative points given for any result short of a fall. Accumulation of 6 negative points eliminated the wrestler. When three or fewer wrestlers remained, they advanced to a final round, with preliminary results carried forward.

Iran’s Emam Ali Habibi was considered the overwhelming favorite in this class. He had won the 1959 World Championships, was Olympic lightweight gold medalist in 1956, and the 1958 Asian Champion. He was thought to be the “unbeatable Iranian.” Nobody outside of the United States had heard of American Doug Blubaugh but Habibi would soon find out. Blubaugh won his first four matches, three by falls, and one by walkover, and then met Habibi in round five, throwing him in 2:37 to eliminate Habibi, who would finish in a tie for fourth. In the final round Blubaugh then won by decision over Turkey’s İsmail Oğan and threw Pakistani Muhammad Bashir to win the gold medal.

Blubaugh should have been better known, having won two AAU titles, an NCAA title, and the 1959 Pan American Championships. Habibi went on to win the 1961 and 1962 World Championships and his loss in Roma was his only one ever at a major international. Oğan came back in 1964 and won the gold medal in this class.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC
1	Doug Blubaugh	USA	Gold
2	İsmail Oğan	TUR	Silver
3	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	Bronze
=4	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA
=4	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI
=4	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN
7	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA
8	Åke Carlsson	SWE
=9	Karl Bruggmann	SUI
=9	Martin Heinze	GER
=11	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS
=11	Musa Kazanov	BUL
13	Kurt Boese	CAN
=14	Juan Rolón	ARG
=14	Udey Chand	IND
16	Peter Amey	GBR
=17	Sultan Mohammad Dost	AFG
=17	Joe Feeney	IRL
=19	Franz Berger	AUT
=19	Juan Flores	MEX
=21	Choi Myeong-Jong	KOR
=21	Robert Clark	AUS
23	Veikko Rantanen	FIN

Round One (1 September 1960)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Martin Heinze	GER	0
=1	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	0
=1	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	0
=1	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	0
=1	Karl Bruggmann	SUI	0
=1	Doug Blubaugh	USA	0
=7	Juan Rolón	ARG	1
=7	Udey Chand	IND	1
=7	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	1
=7	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA	1
=7	Åke Carlsson	SWE	1
=7	İsmail Oğan	TUR	1
=13	Sultan Mohammad Dost	AFG	3
=13	Franz Berger	AUT	3
=13	Veikko Rantanen	FIN	3	withdrew
=13	Joe Feeney	IRL	3
=13	Juan Flores	MEX	3
=13	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS	3
=19	Robert Clark	AUS	4
=19	Musa Kazanov	BUL	4
=19	Kurt Boese	CAN	4
=19	Peter Amey	GBR	4
=19	Choi Myeong-Jong	KOR	4

Match #1	İsmail Oğan	TUR	decision	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS
Match #2	Udey Chand	IND	decision	Joe Feeney	IRL
Match #3	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	fall (11:05)	Musa Kazanov	BUL
Match #4	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA	decision	Franz Berger	AUT
Match #5	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	decision	Juan Flores	MEX
Match #6	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	fall (1:45)	Choi Myeong-Jong	KOR
Match #7	Åke Carlsson	SWE	decision	Veikko Rantanen	FIN
Match #8	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	fall (9:59)	Peter Amey	GBR
Match #9	Juan Rolón	ARG	decision	Sultan Mohammad Dost	AFG
Match #10	Doug Blubaugh	USA	fall (2:21)	Kurt Boese	CAN
Match #11	Karl Bruggmann	SUI	fall (0:13)	Robert Clark	AUS
Match #12	Martin Heinze	GER	bye

Round Two (2 September 1960)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	0
=1	Doug Blubaugh	USA	0
=3	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	1
=3	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	1
=3	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	1
=3	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA	1
7	İsmail Oğan	TUR	2
8	Martin Heinze	GER	3
=9	Juan Rolón	ARG	4
=9	Kurt Boese	CAN	4
=9	Udey Chand	IND	4
=9	Karl Bruggmann	SUI	4
=9	Åke Carlsson	SWE	4
=9	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS	4
=15	Musa Kazanov	BUL	5
=15	Peter Amey	GBR	5
=17	Sultan Mohammad Dost	AFG	6	eliminated
=17	Joe Feeney	IRL	6	eliminated
=19	Franz Berger	AUT	7	eliminated
=19	Juan Flores	MEX	7	eliminated
=21	Robert Clark	AUS	8	eliminated
=21	Choi Myeong-Jong	KOR	8	eliminated

Match #1	İsmail Oğan	TUR	decision	Martin Heinze	GER
Match #2	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS	decision	Udey Chand	IND
Match #3	Musa Kazanov	BUL	decision	Joe Feeney	IRL
Match #4	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	fall (1:07)	Franz Berger	AUT
Match #5	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA	fall (2:10)	Juan Flores	MEX
Match #6	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	decision	Åke Carlsson	SWE
Match #7	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	fall (0:50)	Choi Myeong-Jong	KOR
Match #8	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	decision	Juan Rolón	ARG
Match #9	Peter Amey	GBR	decision	Sultan Mohammad Dost	AFG
Match #10	Doug Blubaugh	USA	fall (3:35)	Karl Bruggmann	SUI
Match #11	Kurt Boese	CAN	fall (1:09)	Robert Clark	AUS

Round Three (3 September 1960)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Doug Blubaugh	USA	0
2	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	1
=3	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	2
=3	İsmail Oğan	TUR	2
=5	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	4
=5	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	4
=5	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA	4
=5	Åke Carlsson	SWE	4
=9	Martin Heinze	GER	5
=9	Karl Bruggmann	SUI	5
=11	Musa Kazanov	BUL	6	eliminated
=11	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS	6	eliminated
13	Kurt Boese	CAN	7	eliminated
14	Udey Chand	IND	8	eliminated
15	Peter Amey	GBR	9	eliminated

Match #1	Martin Heinze	GER	draw	Vakht'ang Balavadze	URS
Match #2	İsmail Oğan	TUR	fall (4:11)	Udey Chand	IND
Match #3	Musa Kazanov	BUL	decision	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA
Match #4	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	fall (5:50)	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN
Match #5	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	decision	Muhammad Bashir	PAK
Match #6	Åke Carlsson	SWE	fall (2:00)	Peter Amey	GBR
Match #7	Doug Blubaugh	USA	walkover
Match #8	Karl Bruggmann	SUI	decision	Kurt Boese	CAN

Round Four (5 September 1960)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Doug Blubaugh	USA	0
=2	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	3
=2	İsmail Oğan	TUR	3
=4	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	4
=4	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	4
=4	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	4
7	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA	7	eliminated
8	Åke Carlsson	SWE	8	eliminated
=9	Martin Heinze	GER	9	eliminated
=9	Karl Bruggmann	SUI	9	eliminated

Match #1	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	fall (5:59)	Martin Heinze	GER
Match #2	İsmail Oğan	TUR	decision	Coenraad de Villiers	RSA
Match #3	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	decision	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA
Match #4	Doug Blubaugh	USA	fall (6:12)	Åke Carlsson	SWE
Match #5	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	fall (9:35)	Karl Bruggmann	SUI

Round Five (6 September 1960)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Doug Blubaugh	USA	0
2	İsmail Oğan	TUR	4
3	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	5
=4	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI	7	eliminated
=4	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA	7	eliminated
=4	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN	7	eliminated

Match #1	İsmail Oğan	TUR	decision	Yutaka Kaneko	JPN
Match #2	Muhammad Bashir	PAK	decision	Gaetano Devescovi	ITA
Match #3	Doug Blubaugh	USA	fall (2:37)	Emam Ali Habibi	IRI

Final Round (6 September 1960)

Match #1	İsmail Oğan	TUR	decision	Muhammad Bashir	PAK
Match #2	Doug Blubaugh	USA	decision	İsmail Oğan	TUR
Match #3	Doug Blubaugh	USA	fall (---)	Muhammad Bashir	PAK