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| Event type

Heavyweight (>93 kilograms), Men

Date31 August 1972
StatusOlympic
LocationBasketballhalle, Siegenburger Straße, München
Participants19 from 19 countries
FormatTwo single-elimination pools, with winner of each pool advanced to the semi-finals. All judoka losing to the finalists in each pool advanced to repêchage pools. Winners of each repêchage pool advanced to the semi-finals.

This was the first class contested at the 1972 Olympics. It was considered a certainty that Wim Ruska (NED) would win the gold medal. He was unchallenged in winning the 1967 and 1971 World Championships, and earlier in 1972 had won both the heavyweight and open classes at the European Championships. Contenders for the other medals were thought to be Japan’s Motoki Nishimura, Givi Onashvili, a Georgian Soviet, and world bronze medalist Keith Remfrey of Great Britain. After the pools and the repêchages, all but Remfrey made it to the semi-finals. Germany’s Klaus Glahn faced Onashvili in the first semi, and defeating him with kesa-gatame in two minutes. Glahn had lost to Ruska in the pools, but Ruska had to fake a foot injury to get some rest during that match. Ruska faced Nishimura in the other semi-final, and the Japanese judoka lasted the entire eight minutes, but Ruska was awarded the decision. Despite the hometown crowd, few gave Glahn a chance in the final, and Ruska dominated, winning with harai-goshi for ippon in 1:43.

PosCompetitor(s)NOC
1Wim RuskaNEDGold
2Klaus GlahnFRGSilver
=3Motoki NishimuraJPNBronze
=3Givi OnashviliURSBronze
=5Doug RogersCAN
=5Jean-Claude BrondaniFRA
=7M'Bagnick M'BodjSEN
=7Tijini Ben KassouMAR
=9Klaus HennigGDR
=9Larry NelsonUSA
=11Erich ButkaAUT
=11Matthew FolanIRL
=11Pierre ParisSUI
=11Santiago OjedaESP
=11Leslie MacPhailBEL
=16Tommy AndrianatvooMAD
=16Püreviin DagvasürenMGL
=16Keith RemfryGBR
=16Mihály PetrovszkyHUN

Pool A (31 August 1972)

Round One (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Doug RogersCAN
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Keith RemfryGBR
Match #2 Jean-Claude BrondaniFRA
Waza-ari-wasete Ippon (4:30)
Mihály PetrovszkyHUN
Match #3 Givi OnashviliURS
Harai-goshi (0:22)
M'Bagnick M'BodjSEN

Quarter-Finals (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Doug RogersCAN
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Erich ButkaAUT
Match #2 Jean-Claude BrondaniFRA
Juji-gatame (2:18)
Matthew FolanIRL
Match #3 Motoki NishimuraJPN
Yoko-shiho-gatame (1:04)
Pierre ParisSUI

Semi-Finals (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Jean-Claude BrondaniFRA
O-soto-gari (1:42)
Doug RogersCAN
Match #2 Givi OnashviliURS
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Motoki NishimuraJPN

Final Round (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Givi OnashviliURS
Waza-ari-wasete Ippon (5:16)
Jean-Claude BrondaniFRA

Repêchage (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Motoki NishimuraJPN
Kesa-gatame (1:57)
M'Bagnick M'BodjSEN
Repêchage Final Motoki NishimuraJPN
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Jean-Claude BrondaniFRA

Pool B (31 August 1972)

Round One (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Klaus GlahnFRG
Waza-ari-wasete Ippon (0:54)
Tommy AndrianatvooMAD
Match #2 Tijini Ben KassouMAR
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Püreviin DagvasürenMGL

Quarter-Finals (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Klaus GlahnFRG
Yoko-shiho-gatame (5:02)
Santiago OjedaESP
Match #2 Klaus HennigGDR
Seoi-nage (5:28)
Leslie MacPhailBEL
Match #3 Wim RuskaNED
O-soto-gari (0:29)
Tijini Ben KassouMAR
Match #4 Larry NelsonUSA bye

Semi-Finals (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Klaus GlahnFRG
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Klaus HennigGDR
Match #2 Wim RuskaNED
Tai-otoshi (1:21)
Larry NelsonUSA

Final Round (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Wim RuskaNED
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Klaus GlahnFRG

Repêchage (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Larry NelsonUSA
Yusei-gachi (6:00)
Tijini Ben KassouMAR
Repêchage Final Klaus GlahnFRG
Kesa-gatame (2:14)
Larry NelsonUSA

Semi-Finals (31 August 1972)

Match #1 Klaus GlahnFRG
Kesa-gatame (2:32)
Givi OnashviliURS
Match #2 Wim RuskaNED
Yusei-gachi (8:00)
Motoki NishimuraJPN

Final Round (31 August 1972)

Match 1/2 Wim RuskaNED
Harai-goshi (1:43)
Klaus GlahnFRG