Flyweight, Freestyle (≤52 kg), Men

Japan’s Yuji Takada was the defending gold medalist and had been World Champion in 1979, as well as 1974-75 and 1977, but he was absent due to the American-led boycott. This left the favorite’s role to Soviet Anatoly Beloglazov, the 1978 World Champion, who dominated the division, winning six straight matches, the first two by decision and then his final four by falls. In round six he threw Władysław Stecyk of Poland in only 57 seconds, which clinched the gold medal, as he had already defeated the other finalist, Bulgaria’s Nermedin Selimov, the 1978 and 1980 European Champion, winning that match by a pin in 1:53 in round five. In the only final round match contested, Stecyk won silver by defeating Selimov, 6-5, on points.

The next day, Beloglazov’s twin brother, Sergey, won the gold medal in the bantamweight division. Anatoly would later win the 1982 World title as a bantamweight, the only year between 1981-87 that Sergey did not win that event.