Welterweight, Freestyle (≤65 kg), Men

Gadzhimurad Rashidov of the ROC team had won the 2019 World Championship and was seeded #1 in Tokyo. He had also been silver medallist at the 2017 and 2018 Worlds at 61 kg. Behind Rashidov, the #2 seed was Indian Bajrang Punia, the 2018 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games Champion, who had been runner-up at the 2018 Worlds.

Both Rashidov and Punia won their opening two matches to reach the semi-finals, although neither had an easy time of it. Punia only won his opening round on a judges’ decision and then led his quarter-final near the end of regulation time over Iran’s Morteza Ghiasi, 2-1, but did manage a throw to win by fall. Rashidov won both his matches on points but had no superiority decisions.

In the semi-finals, both Rashidov and Punia went out, the Russian losing to home country favorite Takuto Otoguro, the 2018 World Champion. Punia lost to Azerbaijani Hacı Əliyev, who was a three-time World Champion at 61 kg, but from back in 2014-17. Əliyev had also won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics at 57 kg.

The final was a mismatch as Otoguro dominated Əliyev, who only held on, 9-0, to avoid a technical superiority decision. Rashidov and Punia had some measure of redemption when they won their repêchage finals to earn bronze medals.