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| Birth name | Gholamreza Takhti | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Jahān Pahlevān | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1930-08-27)August 27, 1930 Tehran, Imperial State of Persia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 7, 1968(1968-01-07) (aged 37) Tehran, Imperial State of Iran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | Ibn Babawayh Cemetery, Rey, Iran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1950–1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 97 kg (214 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle, koshti pahlavāni | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Poulad Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1952 Summer Olympics: Freestyle 79kg – Silver 1956 Summer Olympics: Freestyle 87kg – Gold 1960 Summer Olympics: Freestyle 87kg – Silver 1964 Summer Olympics: Freestyle 97kg – 4th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 1951 World Championships: Freestyle 79kg – Silver 1954 World Championships: Freestyle 87kg – 5th 1959 World Championships: Freestyle 87kg – Gold 1961 World Championships: Freestyle 87kg – Gold 1962 World Championships: Freestyle 97kg – Silver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regional finals | 1958 Asian Games: Freestyle 87kg – Gold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | Pahlevan of Iran (3): 1336, 1337, 1338 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Gholamreza Takhti (Template:Lang-fa, August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968) was an Iranian freestyle wrestler and varzesh-e bastani (Persian traditional sport) practitioner. He was a gold medalist at the 1956 Summer Olympics, 1958 Asian Games, 1959 World Championships, and 1961 World Championships, as well as a three-time Pahlevan of Iran. Popularly nicknamed Jahân Pahlevân (جهان پهلوان; "The World Champion") because of his chivalrous behavior and sportsmanship (Javanmardi in Iranian culture), he was the most popular athlete of Iran in the 20th century, although dozens of Iranian athletes have won more international medals than he did. Takhti is still a hero to many Iranians. He is listed in the UWW Hall of Fame.
Early life
Takhti, the youngest child of a poor family, was born in Khaniabad neighborhood of south Tehran. on August 27, 1930. At the age of 15, he entered Poulad Club in southern Tehran and began training in wrestling. He soon left Tehran to become a manual laborer in Masjed Soleiman. When he was called up for military service, his potential in wrestling was discovered and he began to train seriously after he was recruited as an Iran Railways employee in 1948.
Career
Takhti won his first Iranian championship in 1950, the following year on his first trip abroad, he won a silver medal at the world freestyle championships in Helsinki - the first international medal ever gained by an Iranian wrestler. One year later, he won another silver medal, again in Helsinki, this time in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games.
The subsequent highlights of his career were the gold medals in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games, and the 1959 World championships (Tehran). Takhti also won multiple silvers later in his career, one being at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome and the other in the 1961 World Championships (Yokohama). His Olympics career finished with one gold medal & two silver medals. He did however finish fourth in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics as well.
Takhti started as a middleweight wrestler in the 79 kg and 87 kg categories, as he was getting heavier, he decided to move up to the next weight, 97 kg, for the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. He was unable to win a medal and he finished in 4th place.
Character and personality
Takhti tended to act fairly when competing against rivals during his career, something which originated from traditional values of Zurkhaneh, a kind of heroic behaviour that epitomizes chivalrous qualities known as Javanmardi.
For instance, he once had a match with Soviet wrestler Alexander Medved who had an injured right knee. When Takhti found out that Medved was injured, he avoided touching the injured leg and tried to attack the other leg instead. He lost the match, but showed that he valued honorable behavior more than reaching victory.
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.
Social and political activisms
Takhti was known for his anti-regime views. He was a pro-Mossadegh activist and member of Second National Front and his death sparked a number of anti-Shah demonstrations.
In 1962, a terrible earthquake occurred in Bou'in-Zahra in western Iran, killing over 12,000. 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 footsteps, and thousands gave to alleviate the suffering.
Death and legacy
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. This was never substantiated and the true cause of his suicide was marital problems he was having with his wife which included claims of mistreatment towards Takhti and infidelity on her part. Because he was a national hero, his funeral drew hundreds of thousands of mourners after being organized by Hossein Towfigh, Editor-in-Chief of the popular Towfigh Magazine. The 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 yourselves."
Towfigh Magazine was shut down by the Shah for several months after printing this cartoon.
Takhti 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.
Takhti struggled with depression particularly regarding problems with his wife. Two days before his death Takhti created his will transferring the guardianship of his son to a colleague and instructions on what to do with his properties.
Takhti was survived by his wife and son, Babak Takhti, an author and translator. Babak has heavily criticized the rumors that his father was killed and confirmed his father took his life. The movie Takhti, begun by Ali Hatami and finished by Behrooz Afkhami, examined some of the theories about Takhti's death.
In film
- Takhti (1997)
- Gholamreza Takhti (2019)
- The Sheik (2014) (documentary, shown in archive footage)
References
- ^ Houchang E. Chehabi, “TAḴTI, Ḡolām-Reżā”, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, originally published July 20, 2005
- ^ Behrooz, Maziar (2000). Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran. I.B.Tauris. p. 197. ISBN 9781860646300.
- ^ Sarrafi, Khashayar. "Modern Pahlevan: Jahan Pahlevan Takhti" (PDF). Shanghai University Sports Research Center, College of Physical Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Gholamreza TAKHTI (IRI): Biographie". Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées (FILA). Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- "اسطوره و پهلوانی برخاسته از دیار الوند، پهلوانی برای همه دوران". خبرگزاری برنا.
- ^ "Iranians honor wrestling legend Gholam-Reza Takhti". Tehran Times. 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- Iole, Kevin (June 23, 2013). "The cruel tragedy of The Iron Sheik". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ^ "Iran's Takhti: Legendary figure with controversial death". 23 April 2019.
- "The Olympic Games and our memories of the world champion, Gholamreza Takhti". 20 August 2021.
- "Why Is the US Celebrating an Iranian Socialist Wrestler?Why Is the US Celebrating an Iranian Socialist Wrestler?". 22 October 2017.
- ideensadr (25 October 2002). "Takhti (1997)". IMDb.
External links
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Gholam Reza Takhti". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2012-06-20.
- Takhti at IMDb
- A poem by Siavash Kasrai about Takhti
- Mohtāj Rasouli, In Memory of Jahān Pahlavān Takhti, in Persian, Jadid Online, 7 January 2008, .
Shokā Sahrāi, an audio slideshow, Jadid Online, 7 January 2008, (3 min 47 sec).
Some reminiscences of Gholamreza Takhti by his friends, in Persian, Jadid Online, 7 January 2008, . - Bahār Navā'i, Takhti at British Museum (Takhti dar Muzeh-ye Britāniā), in Persian, Jadid Online, 2 March 2009, .
An audio slideshow, Jadid Online, 2 March 2009, (3 min 57 sec).
Gold medalists
Silver medalists
Bronze medalists Olympic Champions in freestyle light heavyweight | |
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| Asian Games Champions in Wrestling – Men's Freestyle Light Heavyweight | |
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| 1958: 87 kg • 1962–1966: 97 kg • 1970–1994: 90 kg | |
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- 1930 births
- 1968 suicides
- Olympic wrestlers for Iran
- Olympic gold medalists for Iran
- Olympic silver medalists for Iran
- Sport wrestlers from Tehran
- Wrestlers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Wrestlers at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Wrestlers at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Iranian male sport wrestlers
- Asian Games gold medalists for Iran
- National Front (Iran) people
- Olympic medalists in wrestling
- Asian Games medalists in wrestling
- Pahlevans of Iran
- Wrestlers at the 1958 Asian Games
- World Wrestling Championships medalists
- Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1958 Asian Games
- 20th-century Iranian people
- Suicides in Iran
- 1968 deaths
- World Wrestling Champions