Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle (≤86 kilograms), Men

The #1 seed was the Iranian defending gold medallist Hassan Yazdani, who had won the 2019 World Championships. Second seeded was Deepak Punia of India, who had lost to Yazdani in the finals at the 2019 Worlds.

Yazdani had been quite dominant since winning the Rio gold medal. He had lost only two matches, both to American David Taylor, who was not seeded in Tokyo, although Taylor had been the 2018 World Champion, and was World Cup Champion in 2017 and 2018. Taylor had wrestled at Penn State University where he was a two-time NCAA Champion, and twice won the Dan Hodge Trophy, given to the meet’s top wrestler.

Yazdani and Taylor both made it to the semi-finals, where Yazdani easily defeated (7-1) ROC team member Artur Nayfonov. Taylor met Punia in the semis and dominated him, winning by technical superiority (10-0) in 2:49, setting up a re-match of Yazdani and Taylor.

The final was very close, but Taylor made it three wins in a row over Yazdani, defeating him on points, 4-3. Nayfonov won his repêchage final to secure a bronze medal, but Punia was defeated by Sammarinese Myles Nazem Amine for the other bronze.