Wrestling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle featherweight

The men's freestyle featherweight competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne took place from 28 November to 1 December at the Royal Exhibition Building. Nations were limited to one competitor.[1]

Men's freestyle featherweight
at the Games of the XVI Olympiad
VenueRoyal Exhibition Building
Dates28 November–1 December
Competitors13 from 13 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Shozo Sasahara  Japan
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Jef Mewis  Belgium
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Erkki Penttilä  Finland
← 1952
1960 →

Competition format edit

This freestyle wrestling competition continued to use the "bad points" elimination system introduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics for Greco-Roman and at the 1932 Summer Olympics for freestyle wrestling, as modified in 1952 (adding medal rounds and making all losses worth 3 points—from 1936 to 1948 losses by split decision only cost 2). Each round featured all wrestlers pairing off and wrestling one bout (with one wrestler having a bye if there were an odd number). The loser received 3 points. The winner received 1 point if the win was by decision and 0 points if the win was by fall. At the end of each round, any wrestler with at least 5 points was eliminated. This elimination continued until the medal rounds, which began when 3 wrestlers remained. These 3 wrestlers each faced each other in a round-robin medal round (with earlier results counting, if any had wrestled another before); record within the medal round determined medals, with bad points breaking ties.[2][1]

Results edit

Round 1 edit

Bouts
Winner Nation Victory Type Loser Nation
Shozo Sasahara   Japan Decision, 3–0 Muhammad Nazir   Pakistan
Bayram Şit   Turkey Fall John Elliott   Australia
Myron Roderick   United States Decision, 3–0 Bálint Galántai   Hungary
Nasser Givehchi   Iran Decision, 3–0 Abe Geldenhuys   South Africa
Erkki Penttilä   Finland Fall Herbie Hall   Great Britain
Jef Mewis   Belgium Decision, 3–0 Ram Sarup   India
Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union Bye N/A N/A
Points
Rank Wrestler Nation Start Earned Total
1 Erkki Penttilä   Finland 0 0 0
1 Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union 0 0 0
1 Bayram Şit   Turkey 0 0 0
4 Nasser Givehchi   Iran 0 1 1
4 Jef Mewis   Belgium 0 1 1
4 Myron Roderick   United States 0 1 1
4 Shozo Sasahara   Japan 0 1 1
8 John Elliott   Australia 0 3 3
8 Bálint Galántai   Hungary 0 3 3
8 Abe Geldenhuys   South Africa 0 3 3
8 Herbie Hall   Great Britain 0 3 3
8 Muhammad Nazir   Pakistan 0 3 3
8 Ram Sarup   India 0 3 3

Round 2 edit

Bouts
Winner Nation Victory Type Loser Nation
Shozo Sasahara   Japan Decision, 2–1 Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union
Bayram Şit   Turkey Decision, 2–1 Muhammad Nazir   Pakistan
Myron Roderick   United States Fall John Elliott   Australia
Abe Geldenhuys   South Africa Decision, 3–0 Bálint Galántai   Hungary
Nasser Givehchi   Iran Fall Herbie Hall   Great Britain
Jef Mewis   Belgium Decision, 3–0 Erkki Penttilä   Finland
Ram Sarup   India Bye N/A N/A
Points
Rank Wrestler Nation Start Earned Total
1 Nasser Givehchi   Iran 1 0 1
1 Myron Roderick   United States 1 0 1
1 Bayram Şit   Turkey 0 1 1
4 Jef Mewis   Belgium 1 1 2
4 Shozo Sasahara   Japan 1 1 2
6 Erkki Penttilä   Finland 0 3 3
6 Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union 0 3 3
6 Ram Sarup   India 3 0 3
9 Abe Geldenhuys   South Africa 3 1 4
10 John Elliott   Australia 3 3 6
10 Bálint Galántai   Hungary 3 3 6
10 Herbie Hall   Great Britain 3 3 6
10 Muhammad Nazir   Pakistan 3 3 6

Round 3 edit

Bouts
Winner Nation Victory Type Loser Nation
Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union Decision, 3–0 Ram Sarup   India
Shozo Sasahara   Japan Decision, 3–0 Bayram Şit   Turkey
Myron Roderick   United States Decision, 3–0 Abe Geldenhuys   South Africa
Erkki Penttilä   Finland Decision, 2–1 Nasser Givehchi   Iran
Jef Mewis   Belgium Bye N/A N/A
Points
Rank Wrestler Nation Start Earned Total
1 Jef Mewis   Belgium 2 0 2
1 Myron Roderick   United States 1 1 2
3 Shozo Sasahara   Japan 2 1 3
4 Nasser Givehchi   Iran 1 3 4
4 Erkki Penttilä   Finland 3 1 4
4 Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union 3 1 4
4 Bayram Şit   Turkey 1 3 4
8 Ram Sarup   India 3 3 6
9 Abe Geldenhuys   South Africa 4 3 7

Round 4 edit

Bouts
Winner Nation Victory Type Loser Nation
Jef Mewis   Belgium Decision, 3–0 Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union
Shozo Sasahara   Japan Decision, 3–0 Myron Roderick   United States
Bayram Şit   Turkey Decision, 3–0 Nasser Givehchi   Iran
Erkki Penttilä   Finland Bye N/A N/A
Points
Rank Wrestler Nation Start Earned Total
1 Jef Mewis   Belgium 2 1 3
2 Erkki Penttilä   Finland 4 0 4
2 Shozo Sasahara   Japan 3 1 4
4 Myron Roderick   United States 2 3 5
4 Bayram Şit   Turkey 4 1 5
6 Nasser Givehchi   Iran 4 3 7
6 Linar Salimullin   Soviet Union 4 3 7

Medal rounds edit

Mewis's round 2 victory over Penttilä counted for the medal rounds. Sasahara received a walkover victory over Penttilä, then defeated Mewis by decision to go 2–0 against the other medalists and win the gold medal. Mewis's 1–1 record against Sasahara and Penttilä gave the Belgian silver. Penttilä finished with bronze, 0–2 against the other two medalists.

Bouts
Winner Nation Victory Type Loser Nation
Shozo Sasahara   Japan Walkover Erkki Penttilä   Finland
Shozo Sasahara   Japan Decision Jef Mewis   Belgium
Points
Rank Wrestler Nation Wins Losses
  Shozo Sasahara   Japan 2 0
  Jef Mewis   Belgium 1 1
  Erkki Penttilä   Finland 0 2

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Wrestling at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's Freestyle Featherweight". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. ^ Official Report, p. 660.