He began his sports career as a football player in 1942, switched over, however, to wrestling afterwards. He won the gold medal in the 1948 Olympics in 62 kg class as the second Turkish wrestler after Yaşar Erkan. Before retiring in 1953, he competed 13 times in the national team. Mehmet Oktav served then in some sports clubs and in the national team 17 years long as a trainer.
