# Wrestling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle lightweight

The men's freestyle lightweight competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne took place from 28 November to 1 December at the Royal Exhibition Building. Nations were limited to one competitor. Lightweight was the fourth-lightest category, including wrestlers weighing 62 to 67 kilograms (137 to 148 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 modified in 1952 (adding medal rounds and making all losses worth 3 points—from 1936 to 1948 losses by split decision only cost 2). Each round featured all wrestlers pairing off and wrestling one bout (with one wrestler having a bye if there were an odd number). The loser received 3 points. The winner received 1 point if the win was by decision and 0 points if the win was by fall. At the end of each round, any wrestler with at least 5 points was eliminated. This elimination continued until the medal rounds, which began when 3 wrestlers remained. These 3 wrestlers each faced each other in a round-robin medal round (with earlier results counting, if any had wrestled another before); record within the medal round determined medals, with bad points breaking ties.

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

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan | Fall | O Tae-geun | South Korea |
| Mario Tovar | Mexico | Fall | Mateo Tanaquin | Philippines |
| Jay Thomas Evans | United States | Fall | Jack Taylor | Great Britain |
| Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | Fall | David Schumacher | Australia |
| Gyula Tóth | Hungary | Fall | Juan Rolón | Argentina |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | Fall | Olle Anderberg | Sweden |
| Roger Bielle | France | Decision, 2–1 | Väinö Hakkarainen | Finland |
| Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | Fall | Lakhshmi Kant Pandey | India |
| Adil Güngör | Turkey | Decision, 3–0 | Georgi Zaychev | Bulgaria |
| Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Jay Thomas Evans | United States | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Gyula Tóth | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Roger Bielle | France | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Adil Güngör | Turkey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Olle Anderberg | Sweden | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Väinö Hakkarainen | Finland | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | O Tae-geun | South Korea | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Lakhshmi Kant Pandey | India | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Juan Rolón | Argentina | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | David Schumacher | Australia | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Mateo Tanaquin | Philippines | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Jack Taylor | Great Britain | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Georgi Zaychev | Bulgaria | 0 | 3 | 3 |

### Round 2
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | Fall | O Tae-geun | South Korea |
| Mario Tovar | Mexico | Decision, 2–1 | Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan |
| Jack Taylor | Great Britain | Decision, 3–0 | Mateo Tanaquin | Philippines |
| Jay Thomas Evans | United States | Decision, 3–0 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan |
| Juan Rolón | Argentina | Decision, 3–0 | David Schumacher | Australia |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Gyula Tóth | Hungary |
| Olle Anderberg | Sweden | Decision, 2–1 | Väinö Hakkarainen | Finland |
| Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | Decision, 2–1 | Roger Bielle | France |
| Adil Güngör | Turkey | Decision, 3–0 | Lakhshmi Kant Pandey | India |
| Georgi Zaychev | Bulgaria | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Jay Thomas Evans | United States | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Adil Güngör | Turkey | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | Gyula Tóth | Hungary | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | Georgi Zaychev | Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Olle Anderberg | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | Roger Bielle | France | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | Juan Rolón | Argentina | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | Jack Taylor | Great Britain | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Väinö Hakkarainen | Finland | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | O Tae-geun | South Korea | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | Lakhshmi Kant Pandey | India | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | David Schumacher | Australia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | Mateo Tanaquin | Philippines | 3 | 3 | 6 |

### Round 3

Anderberg was injured and withdrew.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | Fall | Georgi Zaychev | Bulgaria |
| Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan | Decision, 3–0 | Jack Taylor | Great Britain |
| Jay Thomas Evans | United States | Decision, 3–0 | Mario Tovar | Mexico |
| Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | Fall | Juan Rolón | Argentina |
| Gyula Tóth | Hungary | Forfeit | Olle Anderberg | Sweden |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Roger Bielle | France |
| Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | Decision, 2–1 | Adil Güngör | Turkey |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Jay Thomas Evans | United States | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Gyula Tóth | Hungary | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | Adil Güngör | Turkey | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 10 | Georgi Zaychev | Bulgaria | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | Olle Anderberg | Sweden | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Roger Bielle | France | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Juan Rolón | Argentina | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Jack Taylor | Great Britain | 4 | 3 | 7 |

### Round 4
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | Fall | Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan |
| Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | Fall | Mario Tovar | Mexico |
| Gyula Tóth | Hungary | Decision, 3–0 | Jay Thomas Evans | United States |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Gyula Tóth | Hungary | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Jay Thomas Evans | United States | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Garibaldo Nizzola | Italy | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Muhammad Ashraf | Pakistan | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 4 | 3 | 7 |

### Round 5

It is unclear why Tóth finished fourth despite having fewer bad points than Kasahara, who advanced to the medal rounds, at the end of this round.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Gyula Tóth | Hungary | Decision, 2–1 | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Gyula Tóth | Hungary | 4 | 1 | 5 |

### Medal rounds

Habibi's round 5 victory over Kasahara counted for the medal rounds. Habibi also defeated Bestayev, taking the gold medal with a 2–0 record against the other medalists. Kasahara never faced Bestayev; it is unclear how the silver and bronze medals were decided.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | Fall | Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union |

#### Points

| Wrestler | Nation | Wins | Losses |
| Emam-Ali Habibi | Iran | 2 | 0 |
| Shigeru Kasahara | Japan | 0 | 1 |
| Alimbeg Bestayev | Soviet Union | 0 | 1 |