Featherweight, Greco-Roman (≤63 kg), Men

Hungarian Imre Polyák had been the dominant force in this class for almost 10 years, winning the Olympic gold in 1964 after winning three consecutive silver medals from 1952-60. Polyák had retired, however, and Soviet Georgian Roman Rurua, who had won the 1966-67 World Championships, came to Mexico as the favorite. At the 1967 Worlds, Romanian Simion Popescu won the silver medal and Japan’s Hideo Fujimoto the bronze. Those three survived to round six, along with Bulgarian Dimitar Galinchev, with Rurua well ahead on bad points. Rurua and Fujimoto won decisions in that round, eliminating Galinchev and Popescu, who would get the bronze medal. Rurua and Fujimoto then wrestled to a draw, which gave the gold medal to Rurua, as expected. The podium had the same three wrestlers as the 1967 Worlds.

Rurua would win another World Championship in 1969, and then moved up to lightweight, winning that World title in 1970, with Popescu placing second. He wrestled at the 1971 World Championships but injured his back and was never the same wrestler and retired shortly thereafter. Fujimoto won the 1970 World Championship, and would finish fourth in this class at the 1972 Olympics.