# Wrestling at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle bantamweight

The men's freestyle bantamweight competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place from 11 to 14 October at the Komazawa Gymnasium. Nations were limited to one competitor. Bantamweight was the second-lightest category, including wrestlers weighing 52 to 57 kilograms (114.6 to 125.7 lb).

## Competition format

This freestyle wrestling competition continued to use the "bad points" elimination system introduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics for Greco-Roman and at the 1932 Summer Olympics for freestyle wrestling, as adjusted at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Each bout awarded 4 points. If the victory was by fall, the winner received 0 and the loser 4. If the victory was by decision, the winner received 1 and the loser 3. If the bout was tied, each wrestler received 2 points. A wrestler who accumulated 6 or more points was eliminated. Rounds continued until there were 3 or fewer uneliminated wrestlers. If only 1 wrestler remained, he received the gold medal. If 2 wrestlers remained, point totals were ignored and they faced each other for gold and silver (if they had already wrestled each other, that result was used). If 3 wrestlers remained, point totals were ignored and a round-robin was held among those 3 to determine medals (with previous head-to-head results, if any, counting for this round-robin).

## Results
### Round 1
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| János Varga | Hungary | Fall | Tortillano Tumasis | Philippines |
| Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | Fall | Kevin McGrath | Australia |
| Muhammad Siraj-Din | Pakistan | Decision | Walter Pilling | Great Britain |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Fall | Karl Dodrimont | United Team of Germany |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | Decision | Mohammad Daoud Anwary | Afghanistan |
| Abdullah Khodabandeh | Iran | Tie | Mladen Georgiev | Bulgaria |
| Bishambar Singh | India | Fall | Rubén Leibovich | Argentina |
| David Auble | United States | Decision | Bazaryn Sükhbaatar | Mongolia |
| Koji Hirabayashi | Canada | Decision | Pekka Alanen | Finland |
| Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | Decision | Moises López | Mexico |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 |
| 1 | Bishambar Singh | India | 0 |
| 1 | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | 0 |
| 1 | Yojiro Uetake | Japan | 0 |
| 1 | János Varga | Hungary | 0 |
| 5 | Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | 1 |
| 5 | David Auble | United States | 1 |
| 5 | Koji Hirabayashi | Canada | 1 |
| 5 | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | 1 |
| 5 | Muhammad Siraj-Din | Pakistan | 1 |
| 10 | Mladen Georgiev | Bulgaria | 2 |
| 10 | Abdullah Khodabandeh | Iran | 2 |
| 12 | Pekka Alanen | Finland | 3 |
| 12 | Mohammad Daoud Anwary | Afghanistan | 3 |
| 12 | Moisés López | Mexico | 3 |
| 12 | Walter Pilling | Great Britain | 3 |
| 12 | Bazaryn Sükhbaatar | Mongolia | 3 |
| 17 | Karl Dodrimont | United Team of Germany | 4 |
| 17 | Rubén Leibovich | Argentina | 4 |
| 17 | Kevin McGrath | Australia | 4 |
| 17 | Tortillano Tumasis | Philippines | 4 |

### Round 2

Seven wrestlers had their second loss in as many rounds and were eliminated, leaving 13 to advance. Varga, Choi, and Uetake each had 0 points. There were 2 wrestlers at each other possible point total (1 point through 5 points) remaining. Hirabayashi, however, withdrew after this round.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| János Varga | Hungary | Fall | Kevin McGrath | Australia |
| Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | Fall | Tortillano Tumasis | Philippines |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Fall | Walter Pilling | Great Britain |
| David Auble | United States | Fall | Rubén Leibovich | Argentina |
| Muhammad Siraj-Din | Pakistan | Decision | Karl Dodrimont | United Team of Germany |
| Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | Decision | Koji Hirabayashi | Canada |
| Abdullah Khodabandeh | Iran | Decision | Mohammad Daoud Anwary | Afghanistan |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | Tie | Mladen Georgiev | Bulgaria |
| Pekka Alanen | Finland | Tie | Moises López | Mexico |
| Bishambar Singh | India | Decision | Bazaryn Sükhbaatar | Mongolia |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | Total |
| 1 | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Yojiro Uetake | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | János Varga | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | David Auble | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Bishambar Singh | India | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Muhammad Siraj-Din | Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Abdullah Khodabandeh | Iran | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Mladen Georgiev | Bulgaria | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 | Pekka Alanen | Finland | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | Moisés López | Mexico | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 13 | Koji Hirabayashi | Canada | 1 | 3 | 4* |
| 14 | Mohammad Daoud Anwary | Afghanistan | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Bazaryn Sükhbaatar | Mongolia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 | Karl Dodrimont | United Team of Germany | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 16 | Walter Pilling | Great Britain | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 18 | Rubén Leibovich | Argentina | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 18 | Kevin McGrath | Australia | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 18 | Tortillano Tumasis | Philippines | 4 | 4 | 8 |

### Round 3

Four wrestlers were eliminated in this round, with Siraj-Din also withdrawing to leave only 7 men advancing. All three wrestlers who started the round with 0 points picked up at least 1; Choi and Uetake shared the lead with just 1 point. Three wrestlers had 2 points.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | Decision | János Varga | Hungary |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Decision | Muhammad Siraj-Din | Pakistan |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | Decision | Abdullah Khodabandeh | Iran |
| David Auble | United States | Decision | Mladen Georgiev | Bulgaria |
| Bishambar Singh | India | Decision | Moises López | Mexico |
| Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | Fall | Pekka Alanen | Finland |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | Yojiro Uetake | Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | David Auble | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Bishambar Singh | India | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | János Varga | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Muhammad Siraj-Din | Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5* |
| 9 | Abdullah Khodabandeh | Iran | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 10 | Mladen Georgiev | Bulgaria | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Moisés López | Mexico | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 12 | Pekka Alanen | Finland | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |

### Round 4

Varga, who had not had any points after round 2, was the only man eliminated in round 4 after two straight losses. The leaders coming into the round, Uetake and Choi, faced each other with neither in danger of elimination; Uetake won to stay in the lead. He was now joined by Ibrahimov at 2 points, after the latter wrestler had a bye.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Decision | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | Fall | János Varga | Hungary |
| David Auble | United States | Decision | Bishambar Singh | India |
| Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
| 1 | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | Yojiro Uetake | Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | David Auble | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | Bishambar Singh | India | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | János Varga | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |

### Round 5

The three losers were all eliminated; the three winners advanced to a final round-robin.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | Decision | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Decision | David Auble | United States |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | Decision | Bishambar Singh | India |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Total |
| 1 | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | Yojiro Uetake | Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | David Auble | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Choi Yeong-gil | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Bishambar Singh | India | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 |

### Final round

None of the three medalists had faced another yet, so the final round was a full round-robin. In the first bout, Uetake defeated Ibrahimov. In the second, Akbaş also defeated Ibrahimov, giving the latter wrestler the bronze wrestler and setting up a gold medal bout between Uetake and Akbaş. Uetake won to claim Japan's first gold medal in the weight class since 1952.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Decision | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | Decision | Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | Decision | Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey |

#### Points

| Wrestler | Nation | Points |
| Yojiro Uetake | Japan | 2 |
| Hüseyin Akbaş | Turkey | 4 |
| Aydin Ibrahimov | Soviet Union | 6 |