Gholamreza Takhti
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| Gholamreza Takhti | |
|---|---|
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| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Jahan Pahlavan Takhti |
| Born | August 27, 1930 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | January 7, 1968 (aged 37) Tehran, Iran |
| Debut | 1950 |
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Iran |
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| Men’s Freestyle Wrestling | |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Gold | 1956 Melbourne | 87 kg | |
| Silver | 1952 Helsinki | 79 kg | |
| Silver | 1960 Rome | 87 kg | |
| World Championships | |||
| Gold | 1959 Tehran | 87 kg | |
| Gold | 1961 Yokohama | 87 kg | |
| Silver | 1951 Helsinki | 79 kg | |
| Silver | 1962 Toledo | 97 kg | |
| Asian Games | |||
| Gold | 1958 Tokyo | 87 kg | |
Gholamreza Takhti (Persian: غلامرضا تختی, August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968) is the most famous wrestler in Iranian history. He was most famous for his chivalrous behaviour and sportsmanship, and he continues to symbolize the essence of sports to the Iranian people.
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[edit] Early Life
Takhti was born in Tehran, Iran (Persia) 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 training.
[edit] Character
In 1961, a terrible earthquake occurred in Boein Zahra in western Iran, killing 45,000. Takhti was deeply touched by the suffering. Already one of Iran'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 then 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.
And another memory of him that clarifies his character more: Once he had a match with Russian wrestler Alexander Medved who had an injured right knee. When Takhti found out that he was injured, he never attacked the leg. Instead, he tried to catch the other leg. It shows that he valued honourable behaviour more than reaching victory.
Alexander Medved, out of respect, has visited Takhti's grave many times in Iran over the years.
[edit] Death
Takhti was found dead in his hotel room on January 7, 1968. The Iranian government officially proclaimed his death a suicide. However, some claim that he was murdered because of his political activities against the Pahlavi regime, accusing Savak, the Iranian intelligence agency at that time.[citation needed] 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.[1] 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.[citation needed]
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- (Persian) profile
