Middleweight, Freestyle (≤74 kilograms), Men

Italian Frank Chamizo was seeded first after winning the 2019 and 2020 European Championships. He was followed in the seeding by Kazakh Daniyar Kaisanov, who was the 2019 and 2020 Asian Champion. Those seemed more important to the seeding committee than the World Championships as the 2018 and 2019 World Champion, Zaurbek Sidakov of the ROC team, was seeded only third. One wrestler who would have contended was American Jordan Burroughs, four-time World Champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist, but he failed to make the USA team.

Chamizo, Kaisanov, and Sidakov all made it into the semi-finals comfortably, where they were joined by Belarussian Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau. Kadzimahamedau upset Chamizo in the semis, winning a 9-7 decision, while Sidakov easily handled Kaisanov, winning by superiority, 11-0 in 5:34.

Sidakov showed the error of the seeding committee’s ways by shutting out Kadzimahamedau in the final, 7-0, to win the gold medal. Neither Chamizo nor Kaisanov would get a bronze medal, Chamizo losing in the repêchage final to American Kyle Dake, who had defeated Burroughs at the US Olympic Trials.

Dake was hardly unknown as he was World Champion in 2018-19 at 79 kg, but because of the different classes at the Olympics he had to come down in weight. Kaisanov lost his final to Uzbeki Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, who won on superiority 13-2, in 2:13. Abdurakhmonov was the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games Champion and had twice won bronze medals at the Worlds.