| | Event type

Welterweight, Freestyle (≤73 kilograms), Men

Date	20 – 23 July 1952
Status	Olympic
Location	Messuhalli I, Helsinki / Messuhalli II, Helsinki
Participants	20 from 20 countries
Format	Win by fall = 0 points; win by decision = 1 point; loss of any type = 3 points. Three judges gave decisions, thus all decisions were either 2-1 or 3-0. Five bad points eliminated a wrestler. When only three wrestlers remained, if they had not yet met one another, they wrestled further rounds. Medal placements were determined by the match record among the medalists, with bad points as a tie breaker. A wrestler in the medal rounds could continue with 5 or more bad points.

There was no consensus favorite in this class. Turkey’s Celal Atik was the 1948 gold medalist as a lightweight, and won the 1949 Europeans and 1951 World Championships in this class, but he retired after the 1951 Worlds and was not in Helsinki. After four rounds, the finalists were determined, with American Bill Smith, Swede Per Berlin, and Iranian Abdollah Mojtabavi all still undefeated. None of the three had wrestled each other so a true round-robin final round ensued, which did little to straighten things out, as all three won one match and lost one, all by unanimous decisions. On total bad points, the gold medal went to the unheralded American Smith with Berlin taking silver, and Mojtabavi bronze. Of the three medalists, only Berlin ever won another major international medal, with a bronze at the 1956 Olympics in welterweight Greco-Roman.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	MMR(BP)/RE	Bad Points
1	Bill Smith	USA	1-1 (6 bad points)	–	Gold
2	Per Berlin	SWE	1-1 (7 bad points)	–	Silver
3	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	1-1 (8 bad points)	–	Bronze
4	Alberto Longarella	ARG	–	–
=5	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	–	–
=5	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	–	–
=5	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	–	–
AC	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	Eliminated r4/7	6
AC	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR	Withdrew r4/7	4
AC	Bev Scott	AUS	Eliminated r3/7	5
AC	Anton Mackowiak	GER	Eliminated r3/7	5
AC	Cyril Martin	RSA	Eliminated r3/7	6
AC	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA	Eliminated r3/7	7
AC	Vasily Rybalko	URS	Eliminated r2/7	4
AC	Nick Mohammed	CAN	Eliminated r2/7	5
AC	Jos De Jong	BEL	Eliminated r2/7	6
AC	Don Irvine	GBR	Eliminated r2/7	6
AC	Arvedo Cecchini	ITA	Eliminated r2/7	6
AC	Antonio Rosado	MEX	Eliminated r2/7	6
AC	Daniel Hauser	SUI	Eliminated r2/7	6

Round One (20 July 1952)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	0
=1	Bill Smith	USA	0
=3	Alberto Longarella	ARG	1
=3	Bev Scott	AUS	1
=3	Anton Mackowiak	GER	1
=3	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	1
=3	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	1
=3	Cyril Martin	RSA	1
=3	Per Berlin	SWE	1
=3	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR	1
=11	Nick Mohammed	CAN	3
=11	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	3
=11	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA	3
=11	Vasily Rybalko	URS	3
=11	Jos De Jong	BEL	3
=11	Don Irvine	GBR	3
=11	Arvedo Cecchini	ITA	3
=11	Antonio Rosado	MEX	3
=11	Daniel Hauser	SUI	3
=11	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	3

Match #1	Per Berlin	SWE	decision (3-0)	Daniel Hauser	SUI
Match #2	Anton Mackowiak	GER	decision (3-0)	Arvedo Cecchini	ITA
Match #3	Alberto Longarella	ARG	decision (2-1)	Nick Mohammed	CAN
Match #4	Bill Smith	USA	fall (4:50)	Antonio Rosado	MEX
Match #5	Cyril Martin	RSA	decision (3-0)	Vladislav Sekal	TCH
Match #6	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	fall (7:23)	Jos De Jong	BEL
Match #7	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	decision (2-1)	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA
Match #8	Bev Scott	AUS	decision (3-0)	Don Irvine	GBR
Match #9	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR	decision (2-1)	Vasily Rybalko	URS
Match #10	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	decision (2-1)	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN

Round Two (21 July 1952)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	0
=2	Alberto Longarella	ARG	1
=2	Per Berlin	SWE	1
=2	Bill Smith	USA	1
=5	Bev Scott	AUS	2
=5	Anton Mackowiak	GER	2
=5	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	2
=5	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	2
9	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	3
=10	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR	4
=10	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	4
=10	Cyril Martin	RSA	4
=13	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA	6
=13	Vasily Rybalko	URS	6	eliminated
=13	Nick Mohammed	CAN	6	eliminated
=13	Jos De Jong	BEL	6	eliminated
=13	Don Irvine	GBR	6	eliminated
=13	Arvedo Cecchini	ITA	6	eliminated
=13	Antonio Rosado	MEX	6	eliminated
=13	Daniel Hauser	SUI	6	eliminated

Match #1	Anton Mackowiak	GER	decision (3-0)	Daniel Hauser	SUI
Match #2	Per Berlin	SWE	fall (9:26)	Arvedo Cecchini	ITA
Match #3	Bill Smith	USA	decision (3-0)	Nick Mohammed	CAN
Match #4	Alberto Longarella	ARG	fall (5:27)	Antonio Rosado	MEX
Match #5	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	fall (4:59)	Jos De Jong	BEL
Match #6	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	fall (3:10)	Cyril Martin	RSA
Match #7	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	decision (3-0)	Don Irvine	GBR
Match #8	Bev Scott	AUS	decision (2-1)	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA
Match #9	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	decision (2-1)	Vasily Rybalko	URS
Match #10	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	decision (2-1)	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR

Round Three (22 July 1952)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Per Berlin	SWE	2
=1	Bill Smith	USA	2
=3	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	3
=3	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	3
=3	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	3
=3	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	3
=7	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	4
=7	Alberto Longarella	ARG	4
=9	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR	5	eliminated
=9	Bev Scott	AUS	5	eliminated
=9	Anton Mackowiak	GER	5	eliminated
12	Cyril Martin	RSA	7	eliminated
13	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA	9	eliminated

Match #1	Per Berlin	SWE	decision (3-0)	Anton Mackowiak	GER
Match #2	Bill Smith	USA	decision (3-0)	Alberto Longarella	ARG
Match #3	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	fall (7:01)	Mohamed Moussa	EGY
Match #4	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	decision (2-1)	Cyril Martin	RSA
Match #5	Mehmet Ali Islioğlu	TUR	decision (3-0)	Jean-Baptiste Leclerc	FRA
Match #6	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	decision (3-0)	Bev Scott	AUS
Match #7	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	bye

Round Four (22 July 1952)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Bill Smith	USA	2
2	Per Berlin	SWE	3
3	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	4
4	Alberto Longarella	ARG	5	eliminated
=5	Vladislav Sekal	TCH	6	eliminated
=5	Mohamed Moussa	EGY	6	eliminated
=5	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN	6	eliminated
8	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN	7	eliminated

Match #1	Per Berlin	SWE	decision (3-0)	Aleksanteri Keisala	FIN
Match #2	Alberto Longarella	ARG	decision (2-1)	Vladislav Sekal	TCH
Match #3	Bill Smith	USA	fall (3:45)	Mohamed Moussa	EGY
Match #4	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	decision (3-0)	Tsugio Yamazaki	JPN

Round Five (23 July 1952)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	4
=1	Per Berlin	SWE	4
3	Bill Smith	USA	5

Match #1	Per Berlin	SWE	decision (3-0)	Bill Smith	USA
Match #2	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	bye

Round Six (23 July 1952)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	5	eliminated
=1	Bill Smith	USA	5	eliminated
3	Per Berlin	SWE	7	eliminated

Match #1	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI	decision (3-0)	Per Berlin	SWE
Match #2	Bill Smith	USA	bye

Final Round (23 July 1952)

Match #1	Bill Smith	USA	decision (3-0)	Abdollah Mojtabavi	IRI
Match #2	Per Berlin	SWE	bye