Heavyweight (≤110 kilograms), Men

This was a new class, first added internationally at the 1969 World Championships. The favorite was Soviet Jaan Talts, an Estonian. His biggest competition was expected to come from American Bob Bednarski. Bednarski had won this class at the 1969 World Championships and won a bronze in 1970, but he never made the US Olympic team, failing in both 1968 and 1972. In his absence, Talts was unchallenged, taking a big lead after the press and increasing it in the snatch and jerk, winning by 17.5 kg over Bulgarian Aleksandr Kraychev. East German Stefan Grützner won the bronze medal, but did have the best mark in the clean & jerk with 207.5 kg.