Bantamweight (≤56 kilograms), Men

The favorites in this event were essentially the same lifters that had made up the first four places at the 1968 Olympics. Mexico champion Mohammad Nassiri had also won the world title in 1969 and 1970. The 1971 title had been claimed by Gennady Chetin, fourth at the previous Olympics. Imre Földi, who’d missed the 1968 gold on bodyweight only, had been victorious at the 1970 and 1971 European Championshps. The defending bronze medallist, Henryk Trębicki, had not won any titles since Mexico, but had been a regular podium visitor.

In the press, both Földi and Nassiri tied the Olympic Record, making 127.5 kg in their third lifts. In the snatch, Nassiri fell behind, failing twice at 105.0 kg, while Földi raised 107.5 (as well as Chetin and Trębicki). The snatch was won by Japan’s Koji Miki, whose competition lift was 112.5 kg. But in an out-of-competition attempt to break the world record, he improved his own mark from 113.5 kg to 114.0 kg. While Miki played no role in the overall classification, Földi enjoyed a 5 kg lead over Trębicki, with Nassiri and Chetin tied for third. In his first clean & jerk, Nassiri cleared 142.5 kg, 5 kg better than Földi. He next set out to raise 152.5 kg, which would give him the lead. But both his remaining lifts were faulty, while Földi assured his victory by improving to 142.5 as well, making for an overall world record total of 377.5 kg. Meanwhile, Chetin passed Trębicki for the bronze medal.

The lifter placing 12th, Soviet-born Israeli Ze’ev Friedman, would become one of the victims of the kidnapping by the Palestinian Black September group. Friedman was killed in the firefight at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, in a failed attempt to rescue the hostages.