Middleweight, Greco-Roman (≤77 kg), Men

The Greco-Roman middleweight division saw the top seeded Nao Kusaka living up to expectations by winning gold. After just two years at senior level, the 23-year-old Japanese competitor had won bronze at the 2023 World Championships, gold at the Asian championships earlier in 2024, and finally Olympic gold. In the first two rounds in Paris, he toppled his opponents, winning both bouts on superiority. Only in the semi-final did he need the complete six minutes to beat #4 seeded Armenian Malkhas Amoyan 3-1 on points.

In the lower branch, #6 seeded Demeu Zhadrayev from Kazakhstan became a surprise finalist, overpowering the highly rated Akzhol Makhmudov from Kyrgyzstan (#3 seed) and Sənan Süleymanov from Azerbaijan (#2 seed) on points. The Kazakh was more than ten years older than Kusaka, but had never won an international title. His best achievement was a silver at the 2017 World Championships, in the 71 kg class, seven years prior to the Paris Olympics.

In a dramatic final, Zhadrayev earned the first two points, but Kusaka came back strongly and scored five straight points to win 5-2. Malkhas Amoyan, a 25-year-old Armenian, was World champion in the 73 kg class in 2021 before he moved up to the 77kg class, claiming two more bronze medals at the next two Worlds. It was bronze for him in Paris, and also for Akzhol Makhmudov. Winning golds at the last two World championships in the 77 kg division and silver in Tokyo 2020, Makhmudov had come to Paris as the most highly decorated athlete in this class.

The tournament ended in disappointment for Sənan Süleymanov. Regarded by many as one of the favorites, he lost the match for bronze against Makhmudov in a narrow 6-5 decision on points, and went home empty handed. In the final of the 2023 World Championship, he also fell victim to Makhmudov, when he had to settle for silver.