| Date | 6 – 9 August 1936 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Deutschlandhalle, Berlin | |
| Participants | 18 from 18 countries | |
| Format | Elimination by bad points. Win by fall = 0 points; win by decision = 1 point; loss by 2-1 decision = 2 points; loss by 3-0 decision = 3 points; loss by fall = 3 points. Three judges gave decisions, thus all decisions were either 2-1 or 3-0. Five bad points eliminated a wrestler. | |
Lauri Koskela of Finland had won the 1935 European Championships and was likely a slight favorite, although he would later come to dominate the class, winning gold in Berlin and the 1937-38 World Championships. His countryman Aarne Reini had won the 1933-34 Europeans, but competed as a featherweight in Berlin. Abraham Kurland was a Danish Jew who was runner-up at the 1934-35 Europeans and the silver medalist at Los Angeles, but, as a Jew, he refused to participate in Berlin.
Without Reini and Kurland competing, Koskela had an easy run to the gold medal, winning six straight matches, and taking gold with a bye in the final round. Czechoslovak Jozef Herda won the silver medal by defeating Estonian Voldemar Väli in the final round. Väli had won the featherweight Greco-Roman gold medal at Amsterdam in 1928. Kurland actually returned to compete at the 1948 Olympics, but was by then well past his prime.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Round Eliminated | Bad Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | – | – | Gold | ||
| 2 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | – | – | Silver | ||
| 3 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | – | – | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 111 | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | – | – | |||
| 5 | 57 | Alberto Molfino | ITA | – | – | |||
| 6 | 84 | Arild Dahl | NOR | – | – | |||
| 92 | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | eliminated r4/7 | 7 | ||||
| 98 | Filip Borlovan | ROU | eliminated r3/7 | 5 | ||||
| 20 | Aage Meyer | DEN | eliminated r3/7 | 6 | ||||
| 6 | Imam Hassan | EGY | eliminated r3/7 | 6 | ||||
| 124 | Oskar Holinger | SUI | eliminated r3/7 | 6 | ||||
| 144 | Saim Arıkan | TUR | eliminated r3/7 | 6 | ||||
| 85 | Josef Graßl | AUT | eliminated r3/7 | 7 | ||||
| 165 | Heini Nettesheim | GER | eliminated r2/7 | 5 | ||||
| 2 | Sotirios Vatanidis | GRE | eliminated r2/7 | 5 | ||||
| – | József Kálmán | HUN | eliminated r2/7 | 5 | ||||
| 13 | Adolphe Osselaer | BEL | eliminated r2/7 | 6 | ||||
| 78 | Metty Scheitler | LUX | withdrew r2/7 | 3 | ||||
| 14 | Jean Lalemand | BEL | – | – | ||||
| 26 | Adalbert Toots | EST | – | – | ||||
| 36 | Hermanni Pihlajamäki | FIN | – | – | ||||
| 166 | Heinrich Schwarzkopf | GER | – | – | ||||
| 158 | Károly Kárpáti | HUN | – | – | ||||
| 58 | Paride Romagnoli | ITA | – | – | ||||
| 99 | Constantin Dragomir | ROU | – | – | ||||
| 125 | Denis Perret | SUI | – | – | ||||
| 110 | Göte Melin | SWE | – | – |
| Date | 6 August 1936 — 11:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 20 | Aage Meyer | DEN | 0 | – | ||
| =1 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | 0 | – | ||
| =1 | 57 | Alberto Molfino | ITA | 0 | – | ||
| =1 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | 0 | – | ||
| =5 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | 1 | – | ||
| =5 | 92 | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | 1 | – | ||
| =5 | 98 | Filip Borlovan | ROU | 1 | – | ||
| =5 | 111 | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | 1 | – | ||
| =5 | 144 | Saim Arıkan | TUR | 1 | – | ||
| =10 | 6 | Imam Hassan | EGY | 2 | – | ||
| =10 | 165 | Heini Nettesheim | GER | 2 | – | ||
| =10 | – | József Kálmán | HUN | 2 | – | ||
| =13 | 85 | Josef Graßl | AUT | 3 | – | ||
| =13 | 13 | Adolphe Osselaer | BEL | 3 | – | ||
| =13 | 2 | Sotirios Vatanidis | GRE | 3 | – | ||
| =13 | 78 | Metty Scheitler | LUX | 3 | withdrew | ||
| =13 | 84 | Arild Dahl | NOR | 3 | – | ||
| =13 | 124 | Oskar Holinger | SUI | 3 | – |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 06 Aug | Alberto Molfino | ITA | Fall (9:20) | Sotirios Vatanidis | GRE | |
| Match #2 | 06 Aug | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | Decision (3-0) | Josef Graßl | AUT | |
| Match #3 | 06 Aug | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | Decision (2-1) | Imam Hassan | EGY | |
| Match #4 | 06 Aug | Aage Meyer | DEN | Fall (4:44) | Metty Scheitler | LUX | |
| Match #5 | 06 Aug | Voldemar Väli | EST | Fall (4:53) | Arild Dahl | NOR | |
| Match #6 | 06 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN | Decision (2-1) | Heini Nettesheim | GER | |
| Match #7 | 06 Aug | Saim Arıkan | TUR | Decision (3-0) | Adolphe Osselaer | BEL | |
| Match #8 | 06 Aug | Filip Borlovan | ROU | Decision (2-1) | József Kálmán | HUN | |
| Match #9 | 06 Aug | Jozef Herda | TCH | Fall (10:04) | Oskar Holinger | SUI |
| Date | 7 August 1936 — 18:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | 1 | – | ||
| =1 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | 1 | – | ||
| =1 | 111 | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | 1 | – | ||
| =1 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | 1 | – | ||
| 5 | 98 | Filip Borlovan | ROU | 2 | – | ||
| =6 | 20 | Aage Meyer | DEN | 3 | – | ||
| =6 | 6 | Imam Hassan | EGY | 3 | – | ||
| =6 | 57 | Alberto Molfino | ITA | 3 | – | ||
| =6 | 124 | Oskar Holinger | SUI | 3 | – | ||
| =6 | 144 | Saim Arıkan | TUR | 3 | – | ||
| =11 | 85 | Josef Graßl | AUT | 4 | – | ||
| =11 | 84 | Arild Dahl | NOR | 4 | – | ||
| =11 | 92 | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | 4 | – | ||
| =14 | 165 | Heini Nettesheim | GER | 5 | eliminated | ||
| =14 | 2 | Sotirios Vatanidis | GRE | 5 | eliminated | ||
| =14 | – | József Kálmán | HUN | 5 | eliminated | ||
| 17 | 13 | Adolphe Osselaer | BEL | 6 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 07 Aug | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | Fall (6:07) | Alberto Molfino | ITA | |
| Match #2 | 07 Aug | Josef Graßl | AUT | Decision (2-1) | Sotirios Vatanidis | GRE | |
| Match #3 | 07 Aug | Imam Hassan | EGY | Decision (3-0) | Aage Meyer | DEN | |
| Match #4 | 07 Aug | Arild Dahl | NOR | Decision (3-0) | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | |
| Match #5 | 07 Aug | Voldemar Väli | EST | Decision (3-0) | Heini Nettesheim | GER | |
| Match #6 | 07 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN | Fall (1:54) | Adolphe Osselaer | BEL | |
| Match #7 | 07 Aug | Filip Borlovan | ROU | Decision (2-1) | Saim Arıkan | TUR | |
| Match #8 | 07 Aug | Jozef Herda | TCH | Decision (3-0) | József Kálmán | HUN | |
| Match #9 | 07 Aug | Oskar Holinger | SUI |
| Date | 8 August 1936 — 10:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | 1 | – | ||
| =1 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | 1 | – | ||
| =3 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | 2 | – | ||
| =3 | 111 | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | 2 | – | ||
| 5 | 57 | Alberto Molfino | ITA | 3 | – | ||
| =6 | 84 | Arild Dahl | NOR | 4 | – | ||
| =6 | 92 | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | 4 | – | ||
| 8 | 98 | Filip Borlovan | ROU | 5 | eliminated | ||
| =9 | 20 | Aage Meyer | DEN | 6 | eliminated | ||
| =9 | 6 | Imam Hassan | EGY | 6 | eliminated | ||
| =9 | 124 | Oskar Holinger | SUI | 6 | eliminated | ||
| =9 | 144 | Saim Arıkan | TUR | 6 | eliminated | ||
| 13 | 85 | Josef Graßl | AUT | 7 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 08 Aug | Alberto Molfino | ITA | Fall (15:30) | Oskar Holinger | SUI | |
| Match #2 | 08 Aug | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | Decision (3-0) | Imam Hassan | EGY | |
| Match #3 | 08 Aug | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | Fall (7:41) | Josef Graßl | AUT | |
| Match #4 | 08 Aug | Arild Dahl | NOR | Fall (7:57) | Aage Meyer | DEN | |
| Match #5 | 08 Aug | Voldemar Väli | EST | Decision (3-0) | Saim Arıkan | TUR | |
| Match #6 | 08 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN | Fall (8:51) | Filip Borlovan | ROU | |
| Match #7 | 08 Aug | Jozef Herda | TCH |
| Date | 8 August 1936 — 21:15 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | 1 | – | ||
| =1 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | 1 | – | ||
| =3 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | 2 | – | ||
| =3 | 111 | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | 2 | – | ||
| 5 | 57 | Alberto Molfino | ITA | 6 | eliminated | ||
| =6 | 84 | Arild Dahl | NOR | 7 | eliminated | ||
| =6 | 92 | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | 7 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 08 Aug | Jozef Herda | TCH | Fall (13:37) | Alberto Molfino | ITA | |
| Match #2 | 08 Aug | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | Fall (14:12) | Arild Dahl | NOR | |
| Match #3 | 08 Aug | Voldemar Väli | EST | Fall (15:21) | Zbigniew Szajewski | POL | |
| Match #4 | 08 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN |
| Date | 9 August 1936 — 13:15 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | Event Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | 2 | – | ||
| =1 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | 2 | – | ||
| 3 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | 3 | – | ||
| 4 | 111 | Herbert Olofsson | SWE | 5 | eliminated |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 09 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN | Decision (2-1) | Jozef Herda | TCH | |
| Match #2 | 09 Aug | Voldemar Väli | EST | Fall (13:14) | Herbert Olofsson | SWE |
| Date | 9 August 1936 — 18:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Bad Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 35 | Lauri Koskela | FIN | 3 | ||
| =1 | 135 | Jozef Herda | TCH | 3 | ||
| 3 | 25 | Voldemar Väli | EST | 4 |
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 09 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN | Decision (2-1) | Voldemar Väli | EST | |
| Match #2 | 09 Aug | Jozef Herda | TCH |
| Date | 9 August 1936 — 19:30 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 09 Aug | Jozef Herda | TCH | Decision (3-0) | Voldemar Väli | EST | |
| Match #2 | 09 Aug | Lauri Koskela | FIN |