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, with the slight modification introduced in 1936. 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 if the loss was by fall or unanimous decision and 2 points if the decision was 2-1 (this was the modification from prior years, where all losses were 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.[3]
Reitz defeated Sepponen but received one point result was by decision; because the point was Reitz's fifth, he was eliminated despite the victory. The bout ultimately served as the fourth-place tie-breaker between the two men as well, as both finished with five points.
Brand defeated Lindén to eliminate the latter. Because Brand and Candemir, the only two wrestlers remaining after that, had already faced each other, they did not compete again and Brand took the gold medal with 2 points to Candemir's 4.
