|
| Event type

Lightweight, Greco-Roman (≤66 kilograms), Men

Date4 – 7 August 1932
StatusOlympic
LocationGrand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Participants6 from 6 countries
FormatScoring by negative points, with negative points given for any result short of a fall. Accumulation of 5 negative points eliminated the wrestler.

The last three European Championships had been won by Sweden’s Erik Malmberg (1930), a top tactician, and Germany’s Ede Sperling (1927, 1929, 1931). Sperling also returned to Los Angeles as the silver medalist in featherweight in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, with only six entrants, they were drawn against each other in the first round, with Malmberg winning by decision. Sperling won his next two matches by decision, with his five bad points eliminating him, giving him the bronze medal. Malmberg continued to win, earning the gold, defeating Denmark’s Abraham Kurland in the final match.

This was the end of the line for Malmberg in his international career, which had begun back in 1921 at the World Championships, where he won bronze as a featherweight. He was also bronze medalist at the 1924 Olympics and the 1925 Europeans in featherweight. As a lightweight wrestler Malmberg won European titles in 1929 in freestyle lightweight and 1930 in Greco lightweight. Sperling continued to compete internationally through 1938, but never made another major podium. Abraham Kurland was mostly unknown in 1932 but he would later win two silvers (1934-35) and a bronze (1934 freestyle) at the European Championships, and would actually compete at the 1948 Olympics in London.

PosCompetitor(s)NOCREBad Points
1Erik MalmbergSWEGold
2Abraham KurlandDENSilver
3Ede SperlingGERBronze
ACAarne ReiniFINEliminated r3/46
ACYoneichi MiyazakiJPNEliminated r3/46
ACSilvio TozziITAWithdrew r2/43

Round One (4 August 1932)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCBad Points
=1Abraham KurlandDEN0
=1Aarne ReiniFIN0
3Erik MalmbergSWE1
=4Ede SperlingGER3
=4Silvio TozziITA3withdrew
=4Yoneichi MiyazakiJPN3

Match #1 Erik MalmbergSWE
decision
Ede SperlingGER
Match #2 Aarne ReiniFIN
fall (10:00)
Silvio TozziITA
Match #3 Abraham KurlandDEN
fall (3:39)
Yoneichi MiyazakiJPN

Round Two (5 August 1932)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCBad Points
1Erik MalmbergSWE2
=2Abraham KurlandDEN3
=2Aarne ReiniFIN3
=2Yoneichi MiyazakiJPN3
5Ede SperlingGER4

Match #1 Erik MalmbergSWE
decision
Aarne ReiniFIN
Match #2 Ede SperlingGER
decision
Abraham KurlandDEN
Match #3 Yoneichi MiyazakiJPN bye

Round Three (6 August 1932)

PosCompetitor(s)NOCBad Points
1Erik MalmbergSWE2
2Abraham KurlandDEN3
3Ede SperlingGER5eliminated
=4Aarne ReiniFIN6eliminated
=4Yoneichi MiyazakiJPN6eliminated

Match #1 Erik MalmbergSWE
fall (3:25)
Yoneichi MiyazakiJPN
Match #2 Ede SperlingGER
decision
Aarne ReiniFIN
Match #3 Abraham KurlandDEN bye

Final Round (7 August 1932)

Match #1 Erik MalmbergSWE
decision
Abraham KurlandDEN