| | Event type

Welterweight, Freestyle (≤78 kilograms), Men

Date	17 – 20 October 1968
Status	Olympic
Location	Pista de Hielo Insurgentes, Ciudad de México
Participants	19 from 19 countries
Format	Scoring by negative points, with negative points given for any result short of a fall. 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.

The two favorites were Frenchman Daniel Robin, the 1967 World and 1968 European Champion, and Soviet Yury Shakhmuradov, European Champion in 1966-67. Less highly considered was the 1966 World Champion, Mahmut Atalay of Turkey, but after six rounds, Shakhmuradov was eliminated, and only Robin and Atalay remained. They wrestled for the gold medal with Atalay winning by decision. Robin would also compete in Greco-Roman in Mexico City, winning a silver medal in that style. Atalay had been representing Turkey internationally since 1959, when he won a gold medal at the Mediterranean Games, but he retired after the 1968 Olympics.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	RE	Bad Points
1	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	–	–	Gold
2	Daniel Robin	FRA	–	–	Silver
3	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	–	–	Bronze
4	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	–	–
5	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	–	–
6	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	–	–
AC	Angel Sotirov	BUL	Eliminated r5/6	8,0
AC	Steve Combs	USA	Eliminated r5/6	8,0
AC	Martin Heinze	GDR	Eliminated r4/6	7,0
AC	Károly Bajkó	HUN	Eliminated r4/6	8,0
AC	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	Eliminated r4/6	8,0
AC	Brian Heffel	CAN	Eliminated r3/6	7,5
AC	Jimmy Martinetti	SUI	Eliminated r2/6	6,0
AC	Osvaldo Ferrari	ITA	Eliminated r2/6	6,5
AC	Tony Shacklady	GBR	Eliminated r2/6	7,0
AC	Carlos Romero	MEX	Eliminated r2/6	7,0
AC	Kayum Ayub	AFG	Eliminated r2/6	7,5
AC	Wesley O'Brien	AUS	Eliminated r2/6	8,0
AC	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	Eliminated r2/6	8,0

Round One (17 October 1968)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Brian Heffel	CAN	0,0
=1	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	0,0
=1	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	0,0
4	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	0,5
=5	Angel Sotirov	BUL	1,0
=5	Daniel Robin	FRA	1,0
=5	Martin Heinze	GDR	1,0
=5	Károly Bajkó	HUN	1,0
=5	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	1,0
=5	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	1,0
=11	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	3,0
=11	Tony Shacklady	GBR	3,0
=11	Osvaldo Ferrari	ITA	3,0
=11	Carlos Romero	MEX	3,0
=11	Jimmy Martinetti	SUI	3,0
=11	Steve Combs	USA	3,0
17	Kayum Ayub	AFG	3,5
=18	Wesley O'Brien	AUS	4,0
=18	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	4,0

Match #1	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	fall (0:37)	Mukhtiar Singh	IND
Match #2	Brian Heffel	CAN	fall (9:14)	Wesley O'Brien	AUS
Match #3	Angel Sotirov	BUL	decision	Tömöriin Artag	MGL
Match #4	Károly Bajkó	HUN	decision	Tony Shacklady	GBR
Match #5	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	superiority	Kayum Ayub	AFG
Match #6	Martin Heinze	GDR	decision	Carlos Romero	MEX
Match #7	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	decision	Osvaldo Ferrari	ITA
Match #8	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	decision	Steve Combs	USA
Match #9	Daniel Robin	FRA	decision	Jimmy Martinetti	SUI
Match #10	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	bye

Round Two (18 October 1968)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	0,0
2	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	0,5
=3	Angel Sotirov	BUL	1,0
=3	Daniel Robin	FRA	1,0
=3	Martin Heinze	GDR	1,0
=3	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	1,0
=7	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	1,5
=7	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	1,5
9	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	3,0
10	Brian Heffel	CAN	3,5
=11	Károly Bajkó	HUN	4,0
=11	Steve Combs	USA	4,0
13	Jimmy Martinetti	SUI	6,0	eliminated
14	Osvaldo Ferrari	ITA	6,5	eliminated
=15	Tony Shacklady	GBR	7,0	eliminated
=15	Carlos Romero	MEX	7,0	eliminated
17	Kayum Ayub	AFG	7,5	eliminated
=18	Wesley O'Brien	AUS	8,0	eliminated
=18	Mukhtiar Singh	IND	8,0	eliminated

Match #1	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	fall (10:10)	Mukhtiar Singh	IND
Match #2	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	superiority	Brian Heffel	CAN
Match #3	Angel Sotirov	BUL	fall (1:03)	Wesley O'Brien	AUS
Match #4	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	fall (4:51)	Tony Shacklady	GBR
Match #5	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	decision	Károly Bajkó	HUN
Match #6	Martin Heinze	GDR	DQ	Kayum Ayub	AFG
Match #7	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	fall (10:52)	Carlos Romero	MEX
Match #8	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	superiority	Osvaldo Ferrari	ITA
Match #9	Steve Combs	USA	decision	Jimmy Martinetti	SUI
Match #10	Daniel Robin	FRA	bye

Round Three (19 October 1968)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	1,0
2	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	1,5
3	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	2,5
4	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	3,0
=5	Angel Sotirov	BUL	4,0
=5	Daniel Robin	FRA	4,0
=5	Martin Heinze	GDR	4,0
=5	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	4,0
9	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	4,5
=10	Károly Bajkó	HUN	5,0
=10	Steve Combs	USA	5,0
12	Brian Heffel	CAN	7,5	eliminated

Match #1	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	decision	Daniel Robin	FRA
Match #2	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	decision	Angel Sotirov	BUL
Match #3	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	fall (4:38)	Brian Heffel	CAN
Match #4	Károly Bajkó	HUN	decision	Martin Heinze	GDR
Match #5	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	decision	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI
Match #6	Steve Combs	USA	decision	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR

Round Four (20 October 1968)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	2,5
=2	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	4,0
=2	Daniel Robin	FRA	4,0
=2	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	4,0
=5	Angel Sotirov	BUL	5,0
=5	Steve Combs	USA	5,0
=7	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	5,5
=7	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	5,5
9	Martin Heinze	GDR	7,0	eliminated
=10	Károly Bajkó	HUN	8,0	eliminated
=10	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR	8,0	eliminated

Match #1	Daniel Robin	FRA	DQ	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS
Match #2	Angel Sotirov	BUL	decision	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN
Match #3	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	decision	Károly Bajkó	HUN
Match #4	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	decision	Martin Heinze	GDR
Match #5	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	fall (8:37)	Seo Yong-Seok	KOR
Match #6	Steve Combs	USA	bye

Round Five (20 October 1968)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	4.5
2	Daniel Robin	FRA	5.0
3	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	6,0	eliminated
=4	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	6,5	eliminated
=4	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	6,5	eliminated
=6	Angel Sotirov	BUL	8,0	eliminated
=6	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS	8,0	eliminated
=6	Steve Combs	USA	8,0	eliminated

Match #1	Daniel Robin	FRA	decision	Steve Combs	USA
Match #2	Tatsuo Sasaki	JPN	draw	Yury Shakhmuradov	URS
Match #3	Ali Mohammad Momeni	IRI	decision	Angel Sotirov	BUL
Match #4	Tömöriin Artag	MGL	draw	Mahmut Atalay	TUR

Final Round (20 October 1968)

Match #1	Mahmut Atalay	TUR	decision	Daniel Robin	FRA