Super-Heavyweight, Freestyle (≤130 kg), Men

The defending World Champion was American Stephen Neal, but he did not make the US Team for Sydney. The class was considered quite wide open as nobody had dominated since the retirement of Bruce Baumgartner of the United States. The final came down to Russian David Musulbes against Uzbeki Artur Taymazov. Of the two finalists, their only close match had come when Taymazov won his quarter-final against the American entrant, Kerry McCoy, but only after a review of the tapes when the Americans protested. The original score was 8-7 for Taymazov but the tape review revealed 2 more points for McCoy, but also 3 more for Taymazov, who thus won, 11-9. In the final Musulbes handled Taymazov comfortably, winning 5-2. Taymazov would return and win the gold medal at Athina in 2004. Musulbes would not be chosen for the 2004 Russian Olympic team, despite winning two World Championships in 2001-02. After feeling he had been dissed, he switched allegiance and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics representing Slovakia.