Wrestling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle heavyweight

The freestyle heavyweight was one of five freestyle wrestling weight classes contested on the Wrestling at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Like all other wrestling events, it was open only to men. The heavyweight was the heaviest weight class, allowing wrestlers over 73 kilograms (161 lb). Eleven wrestlers competed; nine from Great Britain, one from Norway, and one from the United States. The competition was held on July 23, 1908.[1] Each nation could enter up to 12 wrestlers.[2]

Men's heavyweight freestyle wrestling
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
VenueWhite City Stadium
DateJuly 23
Competitors11 from 3 nations
Medalists
Con O'Kelly  Great Britain
Jacob Gundersen  Norway
Edward Barrett  Great Britain
Wrestling at the
1908 Summer Olympics
Greco-Roman
Lightweightmen
Middleweightmen
Light heavyweightmen
Super heavyweightmen
Freestyle
Bantamweightmen
Featherweightmen
Lightweightmen
Middleweightmen
Heavyweightmen

Competition format

The event was a single-elimination tournament with a bronze medal match between the semifinal losers. The final and bronze medal match were best two-of-three, while all other rounds were a single bout. Bouts were 15 minutes, unless one wrestler lost by fall (two shoulders on the ground at the same time). Other than falls, decisions were made by the judges or, if they did not agree, the referee.

Wrestlers could "take hold how and where they please[d]" except that "hair, flesh, ears, private parts, or clothes may not be seized"; striking, scratching, twisting fingers, butting, and kicking were prohibited. Holds "obtained that the fear of breakage or dislocation of a limb shall induce a wrestler to give the fall" were outlawed, and particularly the double-nelson, hammerlock, strangle, half-strangle, scissors, hang, flying mare with palm uppermost, and the foot twist.[3]

Results

Bracket
 
First RoundQuarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
Fall (3:25)
 
 
 Lawrence Bruce (GBR)
 
Fall (3:50)
 
 Arthur Banbrook (GBR)
 
 Lawrence Bruce (GBR)
 
 
 Edward Nixson (GBR)
 
 
Fall (9:37)
 
 
 Edward Nixson (GBR)
 
Fall (6:20)
 
 Jacob Gundersen (NOR)
 
 Jacob Gundersen (NOR)
 
Decision
 
 Walter West (GBR)
 
 Jacob Gundersen (NOR)
 
 
 Frederick Humphreys (GBR)
 
 
2–0 (falls 13:27/3:35)
 
 
 Jacob Gundersen (NOR)
 
Fall (1:20)
 
 Con O'Kelly (GBR)
 
 Con O'Kelly (GBR)
 
Fall (4:05)
 
 Lee Talbott (USA)
 
 Con O'Kelly (GBR)
 
 
 Harold Foskett (GBR)
 
 
Fall (2:14)
 
 
 Con O'Kelly (GBR)
 
 
 Edward Barrett (GBR) Third place
 
 
Fall (3:20) 2–0 (falls 3:04/4:52)
 
 
 Edward Barrett (GBR)  Edward Barrett (GBR)
 
 
 Charles Brown (GBR)  Edward Nixson (GBR)
 
 
 
 

Standings
PlaceWrestlerNation
1Con O'Kelly Great Britain
2Jacob Gundersen Norway
3Edward Barrett Great Britain
4Edward Nixson Great Britain
5Lawrence Bruce Great Britain
Frederick Humphreys Great Britain
Harold Foskett Great Britain
Charles Brown Great Britain
9Arthur Banbrook Great Britain
Lee Talbott United States
Walter West Great Britain

References
  1. "Wrestling at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's Heavyweight, Freestyle". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  2. Official Report, p. 40.
  3. Official Report, pp. 621–22.

Sources
  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman (2001). "Freestyle Wrestling 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
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