| | Event type
Lightweight, Greco-Roman (≤68 kg), Men
| Date | 20 – 24 July 1976 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | 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. | |
Suren Nalbandyan had been 1975 World Youth Champion but was unknown at the senior level prior to 1976. He made the Soviet team early in the year, however, by winning the Soviet Championships. He went on to win the gold medal in this class but did not dominate, winning only one match by fall. He won his last three matches by close decisions over Romanian Ştefan Rusu, Poland’s Andrzej Supron, and East German Heinz-Helmut Wehling, silver medalist in 1972 as a featherweight. Nalbandyan would also compete at the 1980 Olympics, placing fourth, but he never competed at the World Championships on the senior level. He was the first Armenian Soviet to win an Olympic wrestling gold medal. Rusu would return to the 1980 Olympics and win the gold medal in this class, completing his set with a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics as a welterweight.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Round Eliminated | Bad Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 329 | Suren Nalbandyan |  URS | – | – | Gold | ||
| 2 | 286 | Ștefan Rusu |  ROU | – | – | Silver | ||
| 3 | 97 | Heinz-Helmut Wehling |  GDR | – | – | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 301 | Lars-Erik Skiöld |  SWE | – | – | |||
| 5 | 248 | Andrzej Supron |  POL | – | – | |||
| 6 | 107 | Manfred Schöndorfer |  FRG | – | – | |||
| 7 | 309 | Erol Mutlu |  TUR | – | – | |||
| 8 | 72 | Markku Yli-Isotalo |  FIN | – | – | |||
| 196 | Kim Hae-Myeong |  KOR | eliminated r4/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| – | Gian Matteo Ranzi |  ITA | eliminated r4/6 | 9.0 | ||||
| 26 | Nedelcho Nedev |  BUL | eliminated r3/6 | 7.0 | ||||
| 350 | Pat Marcy |  USA | eliminated r3/6 | 7.0 | ||||
| 136 | Ferenc Toma |  HUN | eliminated r3/6 | 7.5 | ||||
| 11 | Jacques Van Lancker |  BEL | eliminated r3/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 139 | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi |  IRI | eliminated r3/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 176 | Takeshi Kobayashi |  JPN | eliminated r3/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 2 | Sergio Fiszman |  ARG | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 41 | John McPhedran |  CAN | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 51 | Erasmo Estrada |  CUB | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 290 | Arona Mané |  SEN | eliminated r2/6 | 8.0 | ||||
| 204 | Mohamed Bahamou |  MAR | withdrew r2/6 | 4.0 | ||||
| 62 | Mohamed Ibrahim Abdulsattar |  EGY | – | – | ||||
| 213 | Jamtsyn Davaajav |  MGL | – | – |
Round One
| Date | 20 July 1976 — 12:28 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 11 | Jacques Van Lancker | BEL | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 72 | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 136 | Ferenc Toma | HUN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 139 | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi | IRI | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | – | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 196 | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 286 | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 309 | Erol Mutlu | TUR | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 329 | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 350 | Pat Marcy | USA | 0.0 | – | ||
| 11 | 97 | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | 1.0 | – | ||
| 12 | 107 | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | 3.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 2 | Sergio Fiszman | ARG | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 26 | Nedelcho Nedev | BUL | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 41 | John McPhedran | CAN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 51 | Erasmo Estrada | CUB | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 176 | Takeshi Kobayashi | JPN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 204 | Mohamed Bahamou | MAR | 4.0 | withdrew | ||
| =13 | 248 | Andrzej Supron | POL | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 290 | Arona Mané | SEN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =13 | 301 | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | 4.0 | – |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 20 Jul | Pat Marcy | USA | Fall (5:00) | Mohamed Bahamou | MAR | |
| Match #2 | 20 Jul | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | Decision (6-4) | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | |
| Match #3 | 20 Jul | Erol Mutlu | TUR | Dq (5:10) | Erasmo Estrada | CUB | |
| Match #4 | 20 Jul | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | Fall (5:32) | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | |
| Match #5 | 20 Jul | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi | IRI | Fall (1:55) | Arona Mané | SEN | |
| Match #6 | 20 Jul | Ferenc Toma | HUN | Fall (5:26) | Sergio Fiszman | ARG | |
| Match #7 | 20 Jul | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | Dq (7:23) | Nedelcho Nedev | BUL | |
| Match #8 | 20 Jul | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | Decision (13-1) | Andrzej Supron | POL | |
| Match #9 | 20 Jul | Jacques Van Lancker | BEL | Fall (2:04) | John McPhedran | CAN | |
| Match #10 | 20 Jul | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | Fall (6:25) | Takeshi Kobayashi | JPN | |
| Match #11 | 20 Jul | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA |
Round Two
| Date | 21 July 1976 — 12:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 72 | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 286 | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 329 | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | 0.0 | – | ||
| =4 | 97 | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | 1.0 | – | ||
| =4 | – | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | 1.0 | – | ||
| =6 | 309 | Erol Mutlu | TUR | 3.0 | – | ||
| =6 | 350 | Pat Marcy | USA | 3.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 11 | Jacques Van Lancker | BEL | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 26 | Nedelcho Nedev | BUL | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 107 | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 136 | Ferenc Toma | HUN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 139 | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi | IRI | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 176 | Takeshi Kobayashi | JPN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 196 | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 248 | Andrzej Supron | POL | 4.0 | – | ||
| =8 | 301 | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | 4.0 | – | ||
| =17 | 2 | Sergio Fiszman | ARG | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =17 | 41 | John McPhedran | CAN | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =17 | 51 | Erasmo Estrada | CUB | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =17 | 290 | Arona Mané | SEN | 8.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 21 Jul | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | Decision (10-4) | Pat Marcy | USA | |
| Match #2 | 21 Jul | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | Decision (7-6) | Erol Mutlu | TUR | |
| Match #3 | 21 Jul | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | Fall (2:22) | Erasmo Estrada | CUB | |
| Match #4 | 21 Jul | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | Fall (0:44) | Arona Mané | SEN | |
| Match #5 | 21 Jul | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | Decision (22-8) | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi | IRI | |
| Match #6 | 21 Jul | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | Dq (6:56) | Ferenc Toma | HUN | |
| Match #7 | 21 Jul | Nedelcho Nedev | BUL | Fall (1:30) | Sergio Fiszman | ARG | |
| Match #8 | 21 Jul | Andrzej Supron | POL | Fall (5:04) | Jacques Van Lancker | BEL | |
| Match #9 | 21 Jul | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | Fall (2:49) | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | |
| Match #10 | 21 Jul | Takeshi Kobayashi | JPN | Decision (18-2) | John McPhedran | CAN |
Round Three
| Date | 22 July 1976 — 11:51 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 286 | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | 0.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 329 | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | 0.0 | – | ||
| 3 | 97 | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | 1.0 | – | ||
| 4 | 309 | Erol Mutlu | TUR | 3.0 | – | ||
| =5 | 72 | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | 4.0 | – | ||
| =5 | 107 | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | 4.0 | – | ||
| =5 | 196 | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | 4.0 | – | ||
| 8 | 301 | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | 4.5 | – | ||
| =9 | – | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | 5.0 | – | ||
| =9 | 248 | Andrzej Supron | POL | 5.0 | – | ||
| =11 | 26 | Nedelcho Nedev | BUL | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| =11 | 350 | Pat Marcy | USA | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| 13 | 136 | Ferenc Toma | HUN | 7.5 | eliminated | ||
| =14 | 11 | Jacques Van Lancker | BEL | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =14 | 139 | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi | IRI | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| =14 | 176 | Takeshi Kobayashi | JPN | 8.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 22 Jul | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | Fall (7:14) | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | |
| Match #2 | 22 Jul | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | Dq (4:01) | Pat Marcy | USA | |
| Match #3 | 22 Jul | Erol Mutlu | TUR | Dq (7:08) | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | |
| Match #4 | 22 Jul | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | Decision (13-2) | Ferenc Toma | HUN | |
| Match #5 | 22 Jul | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | Fall (2:50) | Ja'far Alizadeh Koldkeshi | IRI | |
| Match #6 | 22 Jul | Andrzej Supron | POL | Decision (9-7) | Nedelcho Nedev | BUL | |
| Match #7 | 22 Jul | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | Dq (3:45) | Takeshi Kobayashi | JPN | |
| Match #8 | 22 Jul | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | Fall (0:18) | Jacques Van Lancker | BEL |
Round Four
| Date | 23 July 1976 — 12:15 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 97 | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | 1.0 | – | ||
| =1 | 329 | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | 1.0 | – | ||
| 3 | 286 | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | 3.0 | – | ||
| =4 | 107 | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | 5.0 | – | ||
| =4 | 248 | Andrzej Supron | POL | 5.0 | – | ||
| 6 | 301 | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | 5.5 | – | ||
| 7 | 309 | Erol Mutlu | TUR | 6.0 | eliminated | ||
| 8 | 72 | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | 7.0 | eliminated | ||
| 9 | 196 | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| 10 | – | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | 9.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 23 Jul | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | Dq (7:40) | Gian Matteo Ranzi | ITA | |
| Match #2 | 23 Jul | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | Decision (9-3) | Markku Yli-Isotalo | FIN | |
| Match #3 | 23 Jul | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | Decision (10-7) | Erol Mutlu | TUR | |
| Match #4 | 23 Jul | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | Decision (5-3) | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | |
| Match #5 | 23 Jul | Andrzej Supron | POL | Fall (1:47) | Kim Hae-Myeong | KOR |
Round Five
| Date | 23 July 1976 — 20:56 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 329 | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | 2.0 | – | ||
| 2 | 286 | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | 3.0 | – | ||
| 3 | 97 | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | 5.0 | – | ||
| 4 | 301 | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | 5.5 | – | ||
| 5 | 248 | Andrzej Supron | POL | 8.0 | eliminated | ||
| 6 | 107 | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | 9.0 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 23 Jul | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE | Fall (4:54) | Manfred Schöndorfer | FRG | |
| Match #2 | 23 Jul | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | Dq (7:54) | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | |
| Match #3 | 23 Jul | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | Decision (7-4) | Andrzej Supron | POL |
Final Round
| Date | 24 July 1976 — 10:45 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 24 Jul | Suren Nalbandyan | URS | Decision (12-9) | Heinz-Helmut Wehling | GDR | |
| Match #2 | 24 Jul | Ștefan Rusu | ROU | Dq (6:53) | Lars-Erik Skiöld | SWE |