Gholamreza Takhti (, August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968) was an Iranian

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

and a practitioner of varzesh-e bastani (''Persian traditional sport'').Houchang E. Chehabi, �
TAḴTI, Ḡolām-Reżā
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Encyclopaedia Iranica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...

, Online Edition, originally published July 20, 2005 He was a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

ist at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

1958 Asian Games The 1958 Asian Games, officially the Third Asian Games () and commonly known as Tokyo 1958 (), were a multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 May to 1 June 1958. It was governed by the Asian Games Federation. A total of 1,820 athletes repr ...

, 1959 World Championships, and 1961 World Championships, as well as a three-time ''

Pahlevan of Iran Pahlevan of Iran () is a national championship for pahlevani wrestling (''koshti pahlavāni'') held annually in Iran. Though the competition has ancient roots, its modern form began in 1944. The champion earns the title of ''Pahlevan'' and the ri ...

''. Popularly nicknamed '' Jahân Pahlevân'' (جهان پهلوان; "The World Champion") because of his chivalrous behavior and sportsmanship ('' Javanmardi'' in

Iranian culture The culture of Iran () or culture of PersiaYarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) is one of the oldest and among the most influential in the world. Iran (Persia) is widely regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

), 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 considered 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 Masjed Soleyman () is a city in the Central District of Masjed Soleyman County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History The city of Masjed Soleyman is among the ancient cities of the ...

. 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 The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the except ...

, the 1959 World Championships (Tehran), and the 1961 World Championships (Yokohama). Takhti won a silver, at the

1960 Summer Olympic Games The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. His Olympic career finished with one gold medal and two silver medals. He participated and finished fourth in the

1964 Summer Olympic Games The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequ ...

. Takhti started as a middleweight in the 79 kg and 87 kg categories, as he got older, he decided to move up in weight and competed at, 97 kg, for the

. He was unable to win a medal and 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 Pahlevani and zourkhaneh rituals is the name inscribed by UNESCO for Warzesh-e pahlavāni (, "heroic sport") or Warzeŝe Bāstāni (; , "ancient sport"), a traditional system of athletics and a form of martial arts originally used to train wa ...

'', a kind of heroic behaviour that epitomizes chivalrous qualities known as '' Javanmardi''. For instance, he once had a match with

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

wrestler

Alexander Medved Aleksandr Vasilyevich Medved (16 September 1937 – 2 September 2024) was a Ukrainian-born Soviet Belarusian freestyle wrestler of Russian ethnicity who competed for the Soviet Union and was named "one of the greatest wrestlers in history" by ...

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 Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. After defeating the then-world champion

Anatoli Albul Anatoly Mikhaylovich Albul (; 1 June 1936 – 13 August 2013) was a Russian wrestler. He was born in Leningrad. He was Olympic bronze medalist in Freestyle wrestling in 1960, competing for the Soviet Union. He won a silver medal at the 1963 World ...

, 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 Mohammad Mosaddegh (, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of the Iranian parliament from 1 ...

activist and member of Second National Front and his death sparked a number of anti-

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

demonstrations. In 1962, an 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, helping out the victims and asking for assistance. He inspired others to follow in his footsteps, and thousands gave in to alleviate the suffering.

Death and legacy

Takhti was found dead in his hotel room on January 7, 1968. The

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian government officially proclaimed his death a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. However, some claim that he was murdered because of his political activities against the

Pahlavi Pahlavi may refer to: Iranian royalty *Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire *Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979 **Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944), Shah of ...

regime, accusing

SAVAK The Bureau for Intelligence and Security of the State (), shortened to as SAVAK () or S.A.V.A.K. () was the secret police of the Imperial State of Iran. It was established in Tehran in 1957 by national security law. and continued to operate un ...

, the

ian

intelligence agency An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, Intelligence analysis, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy obj ...

at that time. Because he was a national hero, his funeral drew thousands of mourners after being organized by Hossein Towfigh, Editor-in-Chief of the popular ''Towfigh Magazine''. According to reports, at least 7 people committed suicide due to their sadness after Takhti was declared dead. ''

Towfigh ''Towfigh'', also known as ''Tawfiq'', () was a weekly satirical magazine which was published between 1923 and 1971 in Tehran, Iran, with some interruptions. It was among the critics of the Pahlavi rule. The journal went through three phases: f ...

'' issued a special edition of their popular weekly magazine on January 14, 1968, 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 Ibn Babawayh cemetery ( or ), also spelled as Ebn-e Babviyeh, Ebn-e Babooyeh, is located in Iran in the town of Rey, Iran, Rey (which is now inside Greater Tehran metropolitan area). About The cemetery is named after Shia scholar Ibn Babawayh ...

cemetery in Southern part of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, near

Shahr-e Ray Shahre Ray, Shahr-e Ray, Shahre Rey, or Shahr-e Rey (, ) or simply Ray or Rey (), is the capital of Rey County in Tehran Province, Iran. Formerly a distinct city, it has now been absorbed into the metropolitan area of Greater Tehran as the 20th ...

, 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 Ali Hatami (; 14 August 1944 – 7 December 1996) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, art director, and costume designer. The ''Tehran Times'' dubbed him "the Hafez of Iranian cinema due to the poetic ambiance of his movies." Career Hata ...

and finished by

Behrooz Afkhami Behrouz Afkhami (; born October 24, 1956) is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. He is known for a style that utilizes Point of view shot, point of view camera techniques to portray stories of human drama. He was also member of the Iranian ...

, examined some of the theories about Takhti's death.

In film

* Takhti (1997) *

Gholamreza Takhti Gholamreza Takhti (, August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968) was an Iranian Freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler and a practitioner of Varzesh-e Bastani, varzesh-e bastani (''Persian traditional sport'').Houchang E. Chehabi, �TAḴTI, Ḡolā ...

(2019) * The Sheik (2014) (documentary, shown in archive footage)

References

External links

* *
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 The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

'' (''Takhti dar Muzeh-ye Britāniā''), in Persian, Jadid Online, 2 March 2009

An audio slideshow, Jadid Online, 2 March 2009

(3 min 57 sec). {{DEFAULTSORT:Takhti, Gholamreza 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 sportsmen Suicides in Iran 1968 deaths World Wrestling Champions