| | Event type
Welterweight, Freestyle (≤74 kg), Men
| Date | 27 – 31 July 1976 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Aréna Maurice-Richard, Montréal, Québec / Centre Pierre-Charbonneau, Parc olympique, Montréal, Québec | |
| Participants | 21 from 21 countries | |
| Format | Scoring by negative points, with negative points given for any result short of a fall (win by fall-0.0; win by superior decision-0.0; win by decision-1.0; draw-2.0; loss by decision-3.0; loss by superior decision-4.0; loss by fall-4.0). Accumulation of 6 negative points eliminated the wrestler, but a wrestler could not be eliminated after a victory. When three or fewer wrestlers remained, they advanced to a final round, with preliminary results carried forward. | |
The favorites were Iran’s Mansour Barzegar and Soviet Ruslan Ashuraliyev, who had won the last three World Championships, and also won World silver medals when they did not win the title. Ashuraliyev was eliminated after round five when he lost by decision to American Stan Dziedzic. Barzegar and Dziedzic were joined in the final round by Japan’s Jiichiro Date, bronze medalist at the 1975 Worlds. None of the finalists had yet met one another, so three final matches were needed. Date defeated both Barzegar and Dziedzic to win the gold medal, with Barzegar defeating Dziedzic to clinch silver. Dziedzic would win the 1977 World Championships, avenging his defeat to Barzegar in the final match.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Round Eliminated | Bad Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 173 | Jiichiro Date |  JPN | – | – | Gold | ||
| 2 | 140 | Mansour Barzegar |  IRI | – | – | Silver | ||
| 3 | 342 | Stan Dziedzic |  USA | – | – | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 319 | Ruslan Ashuraliyev |  URS | – | – | |||
| 5 | 285 | Marin Pîrcălabu |  ROU | – | – | |||
| 6 | 91 | Fred Hempel |  GDR | – | – | |||
| 7 | 69 | Jarmo Övermark |  FIN | – | – | |||
| 8 | 362 | Kiro Ristov |  YUG | – | – | |||
| 201 | Yu Jae-Gwon |  KOR | eliminated r4/6 | 8.5 | ||||
| 304 | Dan Karabin |  TCH | withdrew r4/6 | 4.5 | ||||
| 295 | Jan Karlsson |  SWE | eliminated r3/6 | 6.0 | ||||
| 27 | Yancho Pavlov |  BUL | eliminated r3/6 | 6.5 | ||||
| 44 | Brian Renken |  CAN | eliminated r3/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 169 | Giuseppe Spagnoli |  ITA | eliminated r3/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 4 | Bruce Akers |  AUS | eliminated r2/6 | 7.0 | ||||
| 125 | Mihály Toma |  HUN | eliminated r2/6 | 7.0 | ||||
| 315 | Yakup Topuz |  TUR | eliminated r2/6 | 7.0 | ||||
| 82 | Keith Haward |  GBR | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 214 | Zevegiin Düvchin |  MGL | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 263 | Dennis Herrick |  PUR | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 159 | Ivan David |  ISV | withdrew r2/6 | 4.0 | ||||
| 9 | Steven Thompson |  BAH | – | – | ||||
| 42 | James Miller | CAN | – | – | ||||
| 52 | Francisco Lebeque |  CUB | – | – | ||||
| 77 | Bernard Stromboni |  FRA | – | – | ||||
| 98 | Willy Betz |  FRG | – | – | ||||
| 202 | Bachir Hani Abou Assi |  LBN | – | – | ||||
| 235 | Segundo Olmedo |  PAN | – | – | ||||
| 241 | Kazimierz Macioch |  POL | – | – | ||||
| 260 | Pak Tae-Hyon |  PRK | – | – |
Round One
| Date | 27 July 1976 — 10:40 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 27 | Yancho Pavlov | BUL | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 69 | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 91 | Fred Hempel | GDR | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 169 | Giuseppe Spagnoli | ITA | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 173 | Jiichiro Date | JPN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 201 | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 285 | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 295 | Jan Karlsson | SWE | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 304 | Dan Karabin | TCH | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 342 | Stan Dziedzic | USA | 0.0 | – | ||
| 11 | 140 | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | 1.0 | – | ||
| 12 | 319 | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | 3.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 4 | Bruce Akers | AUS | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 44 | Brian Renken | CAN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 82 | Keith Haward | GBR | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 125 | Mihály Toma | HUN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 159 | Ivan David | ISV | 4.0 | withdrew | ||
| =13 | 214 | Zevegiin Düvchin | MGL | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 263 | Dennis Herrick | PUR | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 315 | Yakup Topuz | TUR | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 362 | Kiro Ristov | YUG | 4.0 | – |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 27 Jul | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | Criteria (6-6) | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | |
| Match #2 | 27 Jul | Yancho Pavlov | BUL | Decision (21-x) | Mihály Toma | HUN | |
| Match #3 | 27 Jul | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | Dq (5:55) | Keith Haward | GBR | |
| Match #4 | 27 Jul | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | Fall (1:23) | Ivan David | ISV | |
| Match #5 | 27 Jul | Dan Karabin | TCH | Decision (16-3) | Yakup Topuz | TUR | |
| Match #6 | 27 Jul | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | Decision (16-2) | Kiro Ristov | YUG | |
| Match #7 | 27 Jul | Fred Hempel | GDR | Fall (1:31) | Brian Renken | CAN | |
| Match #8 | 27 Jul | Jan Karlsson | SWE | Decision (24-1) | Bruce Akers | AUS | |
| Match #9 | 27 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Fall (1:41) | Dennis Herrick | PUR | |
| Match #10 | 27 Jul | Stan Dziedzic | USA | Dq (3:18) | Zevegiin Düvchin | MGL | |
| Match #11 | 27 Jul | Giuseppe Spagnoli | ITA |
Round Two
| Date | 28 July 1976 — 21:01 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 69 | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 173 | Jiichiro Date | JPN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 342 | Stan Dziedzic | USA | 0.0 | – | ||
| 4 | 304 | Dan Karabin | TCH | 0.5 | – | ||
| =5 | 91 | Fred Hempel | GDR | 1.0 | – | ||
| =5 | 285 | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | 1.0 | – | ||
| 7 | 140 | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | 2.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 27 | Yancho Pavlov | BUL | 3.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 295 | Jan Karlsson | SWE | 3.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 319 | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | 3.0 | – | ||
| 11 | 201 | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | 3.5 | – | ||
| 12 | 169 | Giuseppe Spagnoli | ITA | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 44 | Brian Renken | CAN | 5.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 362 | Kiro Ristov | YUG | 5.0 | – | ||
| =15 | 4 | Bruce Akers | AUS | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| =15 | 125 | Mihály Toma | HUN | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| =15 | 315 | Yakup Topuz | TUR | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| =18 | 82 | Keith Haward | GBR | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =18 | 214 | Zevegiin Düvchin | MGL | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =18 | 263 | Dennis Herrick | PUR | 8.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 28 Jul | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | Fall (4:28) | Giuseppe Spagnoli | ITA | |
| Match #2 | 28 Jul | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | Decision (11-5) | Yancho Pavlov | BUL | |
| Match #3 | 28 Jul | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | Decision (5-4) | Mihály Toma | HUN | |
| Match #4 | 28 Jul | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | Fall (2:45) | Keith Haward | GBR | |
| Match #5 | 28 Jul | Kiro Ristov | YUG | Decision (12-6) | Yakup Topuz | TUR | |
| Match #6 | 28 Jul | Dan Karabin | TCH | Decision (16-6) | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | |
| Match #7 | 28 Jul | Brian Renken | CAN | Decision (11-4) | Bruce Akers | AUS | |
| Match #8 | 28 Jul | Fred Hempel | GDR | Decision (11-4) | Jan Karlsson | SWE | |
| Match #9 | 28 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Fall (1:39) | Zevegiin Düvchin | MGL | |
| Match #10 | 28 Jul | Stan Dziedzic | USA | Fall (4:11) | Dennis Herrick | PUR |
Round Three
| Date | 29 July 1976 — 20:57 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 173 | Jiichiro Date | JPN | 0.0 | – | ||
| 2 | 342 | Stan Dziedzic | USA | 1.0 | – | ||
| =3 | 140 | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | 2.0 | – | ||
| =3 | 285 | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | 2.0 | – | ||
| 5 | 69 | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | 3.0 | – | ||
| 6 | 319 | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | 3.5 | – | ||
| =7 | 201 | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | 4.5 | – | ||
| =7 | 304 | Dan Karabin | TCH | 4.5 | – | ||
| =9 | 91 | Fred Hempel | GDR | 5.0 | – | ||
| =9 | 362 | Kiro Ristov | YUG | 5.0 | – | ||
| 11 | 295 | Jan Karlsson | SWE | 6.0 | eliminated | ||
| 12 | 27 | Yancho Pavlov | BUL | 6.5 | eliminated | ||
| =13 | 44 | Brian Renken | CAN | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =13 | 169 | Giuseppe Spagnoli | ITA | 8.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 29 Jul | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | Dq (8:49) | Giuseppe Spagnoli | ITA | |
| Match #2 | 29 Jul | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | Decision (13-4) | Yancho Pavlov | BUL | |
| Match #3 | 29 Jul | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | Decision (11-6) | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | |
| Match #4 | 29 Jul | Kiro Ristov | YUG | Injury (5:05) | Dan Karabin | TCH | |
| Match #5 | 29 Jul | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | Decision (12-9) | Brian Renken | CAN | |
| Match #6 | 29 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Fall (7:03) | Fred Hempel | GDR | |
| Match #7 | 29 Jul | Stan Dziedzic | USA | Decision (11-5) | Jan Karlsson | SWE |
Round Four
| Date | 30 July 1976 — 19:52 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 173 | Jiichiro Date | JPN | 0.0 | – | ||
| 2 | 342 | Stan Dziedzic | USA | 1.0 | – | ||
| 3 | 140 | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | 2.0 | – | ||
| 4 | 319 | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | 4.5 | – | ||
| 5 | 285 | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | 5.0 | – | ||
| 6 | 91 | Fred Hempel | GDR | 6.0 | – | ||
| 7 | 69 | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| 8 | 362 | Kiro Ristov | YUG | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| 9 | 201 | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | 8.5 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 30 Jul | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | Decision (10-4) | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | |
| Match #2 | 30 Jul | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | Dq (7:45) | Jarmo Övermark | FIN | |
| Match #3 | 30 Jul | Fred Hempel | GDR | Decision (16-12) | Kiro Ristov | YUG | |
| Match #4 | 30 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Fall (2:13) | Yu Jae-Gwon | KOR | |
| Match #5 | 30 Jul | Stan Dziedzic | USA |
Round Five
| Date | 30 July 1976 — 21:47 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 173 | Jiichiro Date | JPN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =2 | 140 | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | 2.0 | – | ||
| =2 | 342 | Stan Dziedzic | USA | 2.0 | – | ||
| 4 | 319 | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | 7.5 | eliminated | ||
| 5 | 285 | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU | 9.0 | eliminated | ||
| 6 | 91 | Fred Hempel | GDR | 10.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 30 Jul | Stan Dziedzic | USA | Decision (9-6) | Ruslan Ashuraliyev | URS | |
| Match #2 | 30 Jul | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | Decision (23-8) | Fred Hempel | GDR | |
| Match #3 | 30 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Fall (4:06) | Marin Pîrcălabu | ROU |
Final Round
| Date | 31 July 1976 — 21:35 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 31 Jul | Mansour Barzegar | IRI | Decision (11-8) | Stan Dziedzic | USA | |
| Match #2 | 31 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Decision (10-5) | Stan Dziedzic | USA | |
| Match #3 | 31 Jul | Jiichiro Date | JPN | Fall (6:07) | Mansour Barzegar | IRI |