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

The men's freestyle featherweight 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. Featherweight was the third-lightest category, including wrestlers weighing 57 to 63 kilograms (125.7 to 138.9 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, 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 |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Fall | Baldangiin Sanjaa | Mongolia |
| Raúl Romero | Argentina | Decision | John Smith | Zambia |
| Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | Decision | Antonio Senosa | Philippines |
| Yun Daek | South Korea | Decision | Ray Brown | Australia |
| Mario Tovar | Mexico | Fall | Roy Meehan | New Zealand |
| Matti Jutila | Canada | Fall | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran |
| Tauno Jaskari | Finland | Tie | Bandu Patil | India |
| Bobby Douglas | United States | Decision | Hayrullah Şahinkaya | Turkey |
| Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | Decision | Muhammad Akhtar | Pakistan |
| Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | Fall | Bert Aspen | Great Britain |
| Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 |
| 1 | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | 0 |
| 1 | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | 0 |
| 1 | Matti Jutila | Canada | 0 |
| 1 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 0 |
| 1 | Osamu Watanabe | Japan | 0 |
| 6 | Bobby Douglas | United States | 1 |
| 6 | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | 1 |
| 6 | Raúl Romero | Argentina | 1 |
| 6 | Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | 1 |
| 6 | Yun Daek | South Korea | 1 |
| 11 | Tauno Jaskari | Finland | 2 |
| 11 | Bandu Patil | India | 2 |
| 13 | Muhammad Akhtar | Pakistan | 3 |
| 13 | Ray Brown | Australia | 3 |
| 13 | Hayrullah Şahinkaya | Turkey | 3 |
| 13 | Antonio Senosa | Philippines | 3 |
| 13 | John Smith | Zambia | 3 |
| 18 | Bert Aspen | Great Britain | 4 |
| 18 | Baldangiin Sanjaa | Mongolia | 4 |
| 18 | Roy Meehan | New Zealand | 4 |
| 18 | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | 4 |

### Round 2

Six wrestlers were eliminated after two losses; a seventh man was also eliminated after a tie and a loss by fall. Baldangiin Sanjaa withdrew after the round. Thirteen wrestlers advanced to round 3, led by Ebrahim and Watanabe at 0 points.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | Fall | Raúl Romero | Argentina |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Fall | John Smith | Zambia |
| Baldangiin Sanjaa | Mongolia | Fall | Antonio Senosa | Philippines |
| Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | Decision | Yun Daek | South Korea |
| Mario Tovar | Mexico | Decision | Ray Brown | Australia |
| Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | Fall | Roy Meehan | New Zealand |
| Tauno Jaskari | Finland | Decision | Matti Jutila | Canada |
| Bobby Douglas | United States | Fall | Bandu Patil | India |
| Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | Decision | Hayrullah Şahinkaya | Turkey |
| Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | Decision | Muhammad Akhtar | Pakistan |
| Bert Aspen | Great Britain | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | Total |
| 1 | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Osamu Watanabe | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Bobby Douglas | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Tauno Jaskari | Finland | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Matti Jutila | Canada | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 10 | Bert Aspen | Great Britain | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Yun Daek | South Korea | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 13 | Raúl Romero | Argentina | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 14 | Baldangiin Sanjaa | Mongolia | 4 | 0 | 4* |
| 15 | Muhammad Akhtar | Pakistan | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | Ray Brown | Australia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | Hayrullah Şahinkaya | Turkey | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | Bandu Patil | India | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 19 | Antonio Senosa | Philippines | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 19 | John Smith | Zambia | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 21 | Roy Meehan | New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 8 |

### Round 3

Five of the six bout losers in this round were eliminated; Tover, who had started with 1 point and thus could not be eliminated, moved to 4 points but stayed in competition. Eight men remained. Watanabe was the only wrestler to continue to have 0 points after his third win by fall.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | Decision | Bert Aspen | Great Britain |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Fall | Raúl Romero | Argentina |
| Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | Decision | Mario Tovar | Mexico |
| Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | Fall | Yun Daek | South Korea |
| Bobby Douglas | United States | Decision | Matti Jutila | Canada |
| Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | Decision | Tauno Jaskari | Finland |
| Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
| 1 | Osamu Watanabe | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Bobby Douglas | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | Tauno Jaskari | Finland | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 | Matti Jutila | Canada | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | Bert Aspen | Great Britain | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 12 | Yun Daek | South Korea | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 13 | Raúl Romero | Argentina | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |

### Round 4

All four bouts were determined by decision, resulting in wrestlers receiving at least 1 point. Watanabe, at 1 point, remained in the lead. Schilling's first loss was enough to eliminate him; Tovar had two losses and was also eliminated. Ebrahim and Douglas were each able to survive their first loss, at 4 and 5 points total respectively.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | Decision | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Decision | Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany |
| Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | Decision | Mario Tovar | Mexico |
| Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | Decision | Bobby Douglas | United States |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
| 1 | Osamu Watanabe | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Bobby Douglas | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Reiner Schilling | United Team of Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | Mario Tovar | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |

### Round 5

Watanabe received his second point in a win by decision over Ivanov; the latter man moved from 2 points to 5 points and so remained in contention. The bout between Douglas and Ebrahim resulted in both wrestlers being eliminated; Douglas needed to win by fall to remain uneliminated but instead won by decision. Khokhashvili won his fifth straight decision, staying in the competition at 5 points.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Decision | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria |
| Bobby Douglas | United States | Decision | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan |
| Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | Decision | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Total |
| 1 | Osamu Watanabe | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Bobby Douglas | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Mohammad Ebrahim Khedri | Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Ibrahim Seifpour | Iran | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |

### Final round

With three remaining wrestlers, the final round was a round-robin among the medalists. Watanabe's round 5 victory over Ivanov counted. Ivanov and Khokhasvili wrestled to a draw; this would ultimately be the de facto silver/bronze match as Watanabe then defeated Khokhashvili by decision to take the gold medal. Ivanov and Khokhasvili each had 5 points in the round-robin (the tie against each other as well as a loss by decision to Watanabe), and head-to-head results (the tie) were unable to break the standings tie. The next tie-breaker was body weight; Ivanov took silver as the lighter wrestler.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Decision (Round 5) | Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria |
| Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | Tie | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | Decision | Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union |

#### Points

| Wrestler | Nation | Points |
| Osamu Watanabe | Japan | 2 |
| Stancho Ivanov | Bulgaria | 5 |
| Nodar Khokhashvili | Soviet Union | 5 |