# Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle welterweight

The men's freestyle welterweight competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki took place from 20 July to 23 July at Messuhalli. Nations were limited to one competitor. Welterweight was the fourth-heaviest category, including wrestlers weighing 67 to 73 kilograms (147.7 to 160.9 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, removing the slight modification introduced in 1936 and used until 1948 (which had a reduced penalty for a loss by 2–1 decision). 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 |
| Per Berlin | Sweden | Decision, 3–0 | Daniel Hauser | Switzerland |
| Anton Mackowiak | Germany | Decision, 3–0 | Arvedo Cecchini | Italy |
| Alberto Longarella | Argentina | Decision, 2–1 | Nick Mohammed | Canada |
| William Smith | United States | Fall | Antonio Rosado | Mexico |
| Cyril Martin | South Africa | Decision, 3–0 | Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia |
| Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt | Fall | Jos De Jong | Belgium |
| Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | Decision, 2–1 | Jean-Baptiste Leclerc | France |
| Bev Scott | Australia | Decision, 3–0 | Don Irvine | Great Britain |
| Mehmet Ali Islioğlu | Turkey | Decision, 2–1 | Vasyl Rybalko | Soviet Union |
| Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | Decision, 2–1 | Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | William Smith | United States | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Per Berlin | Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Mehmet Ali Islioğlu | Turkey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Alberto Longarella | Argentina | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Anton Mackowiak | Germany | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Cyril Martin | South Africa | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Bev Scott | Australia | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Arvedo Cecchini | Italy | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Jos De Jong | Belgium | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Daniel Hauser | Switzerland | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Don Irvine | Great Britain | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Jean-Baptiste Leclerc | France | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Nick Mohammed | Canada | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Antonio Rosado | Mexico | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Vasyl Rybalko | Soviet Union | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 3 | 3 |

### Round 2

It is unclear why Leclerc was not eliminated but instead continued on to round 3.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Anton Mackowiak | Germany | Decision, 3–0 | Daniel Hauser | Switzerland |
| Per Berlin | Sweden | Fall | Arvedo Cecchini | Italy |
| William Smith | United States | Decision, 2–0 | Nick Mohammed | Canada |
| Alberto Longarella | Argentina | Fall | Antonio Rosado | Mexico |
| Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia | Fall | Jos De Jong | Belgium |
| Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt | Fall | Cyril Martin | South Africa |
| Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | Decision, 3–0 | Don Irvine | Great Britain |
| Bev Scott | Australia | Decision, 2–1 | Jean-Baptiste Leclerc | France |
| Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | Decision, 2–1 | Vasyl Rybalko | Soviet Union |
| Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland | Decision, 2–1 | Mehmet Ali Islioğlu | Turkey |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Per Berlin | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Alberto Longarella | Argentina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | William Smith | United States | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Anton Mackowiak | Germany | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Bev Scott | Australia | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Mehmet Ali Islioğlu | Turkey | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | Cyril Martin | South Africa | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 13 | Jean-Baptiste Leclerc | France | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Arvedo Cecchini | Italy | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Jos De Jong | Belgium | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Daniel Hauser | Switzerland | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Don Irvine | Great Britain | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Nick Mohammed | Canada | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Antonio Rosado | Mexico | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Vasyl Rybalko | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 6 |

### Round 3
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Per Berlin | Sweden | Decision, 3–0 | Anton Mackowiak | Germany |
| William Smith | United States | Decision, 3–0 | Alberto Longarella | Argentina |
| Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia | Fall | Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt |
| Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | Decision, 2–1 | Cyril Martin | South Africa |
| Mehmet Ali Islioğlu | Turkey | Decision, 3–0 | Jean-Baptiste Leclerc | France |
| Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Bev Scott | Australia |
| Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Per Berlin | Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1 | William Smith | United States | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | Alberto Longarella | Argentina | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | Mehmet Ali Islioğlu | Turkey | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | Anton Mackowiak | Germany | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 9 | Bev Scott | Australia | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 12 | Cyril Martin | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 13 | Jean-Baptiste Leclerc | France | 6 | 3 | 9 |

### Round 4
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Per Berlin | Sweden | Decision, 3–0 | Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland |
| Alberto Longarella | Argentina | Decision, 2–1 | Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia |
| William Smith | United States | Fall | Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt |
| Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | William Smith | United States | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Per Berlin | Sweden | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Alberto Longarella | Argentina | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Mohamed Hassan Moussa | Egypt | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Vladislav Sekal | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Tsugio Yamazaki | Japan | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | Aleksanteri Keisala | Finland | 4 | 3 | 7 |

### Medal rounds

None of the medalists had faced each other, so each wrestled the other two. Each won a bout and lost a bout, so bad points were used to break the three-way 1–1 tie. Smith had won two bouts by fall and two by decision coming into the medal round, leading at 2 points. Berlin had taken only one bout by fall and three by decision before the medal round, coming in at second place with 3 points. All four of Mojtabavi's pre-medal round wins had been by decision, so he had 4 points and came in at third place. Each wrestler earned 4 points in the medal rounds (1 win by decision, 1 loss), so their rank order did not change. Smith took gold, Berlin silver, and Mojtabavi bronze.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Per Berlin | Sweden | Decision, 3–0 | William Smith | United States |
| Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Per Berlin | Sweden |
| William Smith | United States | Decision, 3–0 | Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran |

#### Points

| Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| William Smith | United States | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Per Berlin | Sweden | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Abdollah Mojtabavi | Iran | 4 | 4 | 8 |