| Gholamreza Takhti | |
|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| 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 behavior and sportsmanship, and he continues to symbolize the essence of sport to the Iranian people.
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Takhti was born in Tehran, Iran (Persia) on August 27, 1930.They were poor, leaving Takhti with only 9 years of schooling. Yet he was recognized as a natural athlete and was taken into the Poolad gymnasium for further training .
Takhti was among the most famous practitioners of Varzesh-e Bastani, the famous Persian "Sport of the Heroes." The sport included club swinging and juggling followed by submission wrestling known as Koshti Pahlavani. Varzesh-e Pahlavani was one of the formative influences of American catch wrestling.
In 1962, a terrible earthquake occurred in Bou'in-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.
In another instance, 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 that leg. Instead, he tried to attack the other leg. He lost the match, but showed that he valued honorable behavior more than reaching victory.
Alexander Medved, out of respect, has visited Takhti's grave many times in Iran over the years.
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. As a national hero his funeral, organized by Hossein Towfigh, editor in chief of the late Towfigh magazine, drew hundreds of thousands of mourners. Towfigh magazine issued a special edition of their popular weekly magazine where they caricatured Takhti with angel wings flying high above the throngs of Iranian mourners at his own funeral with a caption that read "Don't cry for me, cry for your own plight." This was a direct reference not only to the plight of the Iranian people under the dictatorial regime of the Shah, but also showed Takhti's democratic beliefs, one of the reasons cited for his mysterious death. Towfigh magazine was shut down by the Shah for several months after printing this cartoon. 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[1], begun by Ali Hatami and finished by Behrooz Afkhami, examined some of the theories about Takhti's death.
