Heavyweight, Freestyle (≤97 kg), Men

Ukrainian-born Russian Sagid Murtazaliyev had won the 1999 World Championships and the 2000 Europeans and came to Sydney as the favorite. His biggest challenger was expected to be Georgian Eldar K’urt’anidze, the 1997-98 European Champion. Both got through the pools but then had to face each other in the semi-final, with Murtazaliyev winning 3-1. The other semi matched Kazakh Islam Bayramukov against Poland’s Marek Garmulewicz, twice a silver medalist at the Europeans and once at the Worlds, with Bayramukov shutting out the Pole, 3-0. Bayramukov had no significant international record and was no match for Murtazaliyev in the final, losing 6-0. K’urt’anidze also won the bronze medal match easily, 4-1, and would go on to win the 2001 European title, and the 2002-03 World titles.

When the IOC initially voted to eliminate wrestling from the Olympic Program in 2013, Murtazaliyev returned his gold medal to the IOC in protest of the decision, which was later reversed. Murtazaliyev took back his gold medal.