Gholamreza Takhti

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Men's freestyle wrestling
Olympic medalist
Gholamreza Takhti exercising with lightweight meel in a zurkhaneh.
Medal record
Gold	1956 Melbourne	87 kg
Silver	1952 Helsinki	79 kg
Silver	1960 Rome	87 kg

Gholamreza Takhti (Persian: غلامرضا تختی‎; August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968 ^[1]), sometimes Gholam-Reza, Gholam Reza, or Qolam Reza, is the most famous wrestler in Persian history. He was most famous for his chivalrous behaviour and sportsmanship, and he continues to symbolize the essence of sports to the Persian (Iranian) people.

1 His Early Life
2 His Character
3 Suspicion Surrounding His Death
4 Medals
5 External link(s)

[edit] His Early Life

Takhti was born in Tehran, Persia (Iran) on August 27, 1930. Takhti's family was poor, leaving Takhti with only 9 years of schooling. But he was recognized as a natural athlete and was taken into the Poolad gymnasium for further study.

[edit] His Character

In 1961, a terrible earthquake occurred in Boein Zahra in western Persia, killing 45,000. Takhti was deeply touched by the suffering. Already one of Persia's biggest stars, he began to walk one of the main avenues of Tehran, asking for assistance for the victims. He inspired other champions to follow in his footseps, and thousands gave to alleviate the suffering.

Another example of his character comes from a match in Moscow. After defeating the current world champion Anatoli Albul, Takhti saw the sorrow on the face of Albul's mother. Takhti went to her and said, "I'm sorry about the result, but your son is a great wrestler." She smiled and kissed him.

[edit] Suspicion Surrounding His Death

Takhti was found dead in his hotel room on January 7, 1968. The Pahlavi government of Iran officially proclaimed his death a suicide. However, most believe he was murdered because of his political activities against the regime. His death is widely blamed on Savak, the Shah's brutal intelligence agency. He is buried at Ebn-e Babooyeh cemetery in Southern part of Tehran, near Shahr-e Ray, where he is commemorated every year by his fans, even now many years after his death..

He was survived by his wife and son, Babak Takhti, an author and translator.

The movie Takhti, begun by Ali Hatami and finished by Behrouz Afkhami, examined some of the theories about Takhti's death.