| | Event type

Welterweight, Freestyle (≤74 kg), Men

Date	27 – 31 August 1972
Status	Olympic
Location	Ringer-Judo-Halle, Messegelände (Halle 14), München
Participants	25 from 25 countries
Format	Scoring by negative points, with negative points given for any result short of a fall (win by fall-0.0; win by superior decision-0.5; win by decision-1.0; draw-2.0; loss by decision-3.0; loss by superior decision-3.5; loss by fall-4.0). Accumulation of 6 negative points eliminated the wrestler. When three or fewer wrestlers remained, they advanced to a final round, with preliminary results carried forward.

There was no clear favorite in this class but Soviet Yury Gusov was the 1971 World Champion and 1969 European Champion, and American Wayne Wells had won the 1970 Worlds. Gusov would struggle and was eliminated after the fourth round, after losing in rounds three and four. Wells made it to the final round, along with Sweden’s Jan Karlsson and Germany’s Adolf Seger, the 1972 European Champion. In the final round Wells defeated both Karlsson and Seger by decisions to win the gold medal. Karlsson won the silver, as he had defeated Seger in round six.

Wells retired after the 1972 Olympics, returning to a law practice in Oklahoma. Between 1966-74 Karlsson would have six podium finishes at the Worlds and Europeans but never won a title. Seger would defend his European title in 1973.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Round Eliminated	Bad Points
1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	–	–	Gold
2	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	–	–	Silver
3	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	–	–	Bronze
4	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	–	–
=5	172	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	–	–
=5	85	Daniel Robin	FRA	–	–
=5	103	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	–	–
AC	293	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	eliminated r4/7	6.5
AC	368	Yury Gusov	URS	eliminated r4/7	8.0
AC	317	Robert Blaser	SUI	eliminated r4/7	8.5
AC	342	Miroslav Musil	TCH	eliminated r4/7	9.0
AC	159	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	eliminated r4/7	10.0
AC	244	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL	eliminated r3/7	7.5
AC	–	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	eliminated r3/7	9.0
AC	352	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR	eliminated r3/7	9.0
AC	253	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK	eliminated r3/7	9.0
AC	214	Toshitada Yoshida	JPN	withdrew r3/7	3.5
AC	8	Shakar Khan Shakar	AFG	eliminated r2/7	6.0
AC	91	Tony Shacklady	GBR	eliminated r2/7	6.0
AC	13	Bruce Akers	AUS	eliminated r2/7	6.5
AC	19	Bruno Hartmann	AUT	eliminated r2/7	6.5
AC	11	Néstor González	ARG	eliminated r2/7	8.0
AC	50	Alfred Wurr	CAN	eliminated r2/7	8.0
AC	57	Francisco Lebeque	CUB	eliminated r2/7	8.0
AC	215	Bachir Hani Abou Assi	LBN	eliminated r2/7	8.0
DNS	221	Marco A. Campuzano A.	MEX	–	–
DNS	282	Jozef Wojtasik	POL	–	–
DNS	291	Yong Pak-Iae	PRK	–	–

Round One

Date	27 August 1972 — 19:00

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points
=1	103	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	0.0
=1	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	0.0
=1	172	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	0.0
=1	214	Toshitada Yoshida	JPN	0.0
=1	317	Robert Blaser	SUI	0.0
=1	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	0.0
=1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	0.0
8	244	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL	0.5
=9	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	1.0
=9	159	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	1.0
=9	–	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	1.0
=9	342	Miroslav Musil	TCH	1.0
=9	368	Yury Gusov	URS	1.0
=14	13	Bruce Akers	AUS	3.0
=14	85	Daniel Robin	FRA	3.0
=14	91	Tony Shacklady	GBR	3.0
=14	253	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK	3.0
=14	293	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	3.0
19	19	Bruno Hartmann	AUT	3.5
=20	8	Shakar Khan Shakar	AFG	4.0
=20	11	Néstor González	ARG	4.0
=20	50	Alfred Wurr	CAN	4.0
=20	57	Francisco Lebeque	CUB	4.0
=20	215	Bachir Hani Abou Assi	LBN	4.0
=20	352	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR	4.0

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	27 Aug	Toshitada Yoshida	JPN	Dq (passivity) (7:31)	Francisco Lebeque	CUB
Match #2	27 Aug	Adolf Seger	FRG	Fall (8:23)	Alfred Wurr	CAN
Match #3	27 Aug	Yury Gusov	URS	Decision	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU
Match #4	27 Aug	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	Decision	Bruce Akers	AUS
Match #5	27 Aug	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	Decision	Daniel Robin	FRA
Match #6	27 Aug	Robert Blaser	SUI	Fall (5:06)	Bachir Hani Abou Assi	LBN
Match #7	27 Aug	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL	Decision	Bruno Hartmann	AUT
Match #8	27 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Fall (5:59)	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR
Match #9	27 Aug	Miroslav Musil	TCH	Decision	Tony Shacklady	GBR
Match #10	27 Aug	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	Fall (5:07)	Néstor González	ARG
Match #11	27 Aug	Jan Karlsson	SWE	Fall (2:28)	Shakar Khan Shakar	AFG
Match #12	27 Aug	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	Decision	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK
Match #13	27 Aug	Mansour Barzegar	IRI

Round Two

Date	28 August 1972 — 10:00

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
=1	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	0.0	–
=1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	0.0	–
3	172	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	0.5	–
=4	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	1.0	–
=4	103	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	1.0	–
=4	159	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	1.0	–
=4	317	Robert Blaser	SUI	1.0	–
=4	342	Miroslav Musil	TCH	1.0	–
=4	368	Yury Gusov	URS	1.0	–
=10	85	Daniel Robin	FRA	3.0	–
=10	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	3.0	–
=12	214	Toshitada Yoshida	JPN	3.5	–
=12	293	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	3.5	–
14	244	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL	4.5	–
=15	–	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	5.0	–
=15	253	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK	5.0	–
=15	352	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR	5.0	–
=18	8	Shakar Khan Shakar	AFG	6.0	eliminated
=18	91	Tony Shacklady	GBR	6.0	eliminated
=20	13	Bruce Akers	AUS	6.5	eliminated
=20	19	Bruno Hartmann	AUT	6.5	eliminated
=22	11	Néstor González	ARG	8.0	eliminated
=22	50	Alfred Wurr	CAN	8.0	eliminated
=22	57	Francisco Lebeque	CUB	8.0	eliminated
=22	215	Bachir Hani Abou Assi	LBN	8.0	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	28 Aug	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	Decision	Toshitada Yoshida	JPN
Match #2	28 Aug	Adolf Seger	FRG	Fall (2:55)	Francisco Lebeque	CUB
Match #3	28 Aug	Yury Gusov	URS	Fall (3:51)	Alfred Wurr	CAN
Match #4	28 Aug	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	Decision	Bruce Akers	AUS
Match #5	28 Aug	Daniel Robin	FRA	Fall (2:24)	Mukhtiar Singh	IND
Match #6	28 Aug	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	Fall (2:02)	Bachir Hani Abou Assi	LBN
Match #7	28 Aug	Robert Blaser	SUI	Decision	Bruno Hartmann	AUT
Match #8	28 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Fall (8:25)	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL
Match #9	28 Aug	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR	Decision	Tony Shacklady	GBR
Match #10	28 Aug	Miroslav Musil	TCH	Fall (4:46)	Néstor González	ARG
Match #11	28 Aug	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	Decision	Jan Karlsson	SWE
Match #12	28 Aug	Shakar Khan Shakar	AFG	Draw	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK
Match #13	28 Aug	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN

Round Three

Date	29 August 1972 — 19:00

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	0.0	–
=2	103	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	1.0	–
=2	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	1.0	–
4	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	2.0	–
5	172	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	2.5	–
=6	85	Daniel Robin	FRA	3.0	–
=6	159	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	3.0	–
=6	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	3.0	–
9	293	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	3.5	–
10	368	Yury Gusov	URS	4.0	–
=11	317	Robert Blaser	SUI	5.0	–
=11	342	Miroslav Musil	TCH	5.0	–
13	244	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL	7.5	eliminated
=14	–	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	9.0	eliminated
=14	352	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR	9.0	eliminated
=14	253	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK	9.0	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	29 Aug	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	Draw	Mansour Barzegar	IRI
Match #2	29 Aug	Adolf Seger	FRG	Decision	Yury Gusov	URS
Match #3	29 Aug	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	Fall (2:27)	Mukhtiar Singh	IND
Match #4	29 Aug	Daniel Robin	FRA	Fall (4:17)	Robert Blaser	SUI
Match #5	29 Aug	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	Decision	Danzandarjaagiin Sereeter	MGL
Match #6	29 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Fall (1:24)	Miroslav Musil	TCH
Match #7	29 Aug	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	Fall (8:18)	Mehmet Ali Demirtaş	TUR
Match #8	29 Aug	Jan Karlsson	SWE	Fall (3:49)	Muhammad Yaghoub	PAK

Round Four

Date	30 August 1972 — 10:00

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	1.0	–
2	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	2.0	–
=3	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	2.5	–
=3	172	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	2.5	–
5	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	3.0	–
=6	85	Daniel Robin	FRA	4.0	–
=6	103	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	4.0	–
8	293	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU	6.5	eliminated
9	368	Yury Gusov	URS	8.0	eliminated
10	317	Robert Blaser	SUI	8.5	eliminated
11	342	Miroslav Musil	TCH	9.0	eliminated
12	159	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN	10.0	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	30 Aug	Adolf Seger	FRG	Decision	Miklós Urbanovics	HUN
Match #2	30 Aug	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	Fall (6:18)	Yury Gusov	URS
Match #3	30 Aug	Daniel Robin	FRA	Decision	Ludovic Ambruș	ROU
Match #4	30 Aug	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	Decision	Robert Blaser	SUI
Match #5	30 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Decision	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR
Match #6	30 Aug	Jan Karlsson	SWE	Fall (5:36)	Miroslav Musil	TCH

Round Five

Date	30 August 1972 — 19:00

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
=1	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	2.0	–
=1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	2.0	–
3	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	3.0	–
4	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	3.5	–
5	172	Mansour Barzegar	IRI	6.5	eliminated
=6	85	Daniel Robin	FRA	7.0	eliminated
=6	103	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR	7.0	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	30 Aug	Adolf Seger	FRG	Fall (5:18)	Mansour Barzegar	IRI
Match #2	30 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Decision	Daniel Robin	FRA
Match #3	30 Aug	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	Decision	Wolfgang Nitschke	GDR
Match #4	30 Aug	Jan Karlsson	SWE

Round Six

Date	31 August 1972 — 10:00

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bad Points	Event Status
1	401	Wayne Wells	USA	2.0	–
2	328	Jan Karlsson	SWE	4.0	–
3	124	Adolf Seger	FRG	5.0	–
4	36	Yancho Pavlov	BUL	7.5	eliminated

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	31 Aug	Jan Karlsson	SWE	Decision	Adolf Seger	FRG
Match #2	31 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Fall (6:37)	Yancho Pavlov	BUL

Final Round

Date	31 August 1972 — 19:00

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Match #1	31 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Decision	Jan Karlsson	SWE
Match #2	31 Aug	Wayne Wells	USA	Decision	Adolf Seger	FRG