Gholamreza Takhti

On 27 August 1930, Takhti, the youngest child of a poor family, was born in the Khaniabad neighbourhood of south Tehran‌.^[5] 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 Soleyman. 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.^[1]

Takhti won his first Iranian championship in 1950.^[4] 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.^[1] One year later, he won another silver medal, again in Helsinki, this time in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games.^[4]

The subsequent highlights of his career were the gold medals in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games, the 1959 World Championships (Tehran), and the 1961 World Championships (Yokohama). Takhti won a silver, at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games,^[1] taking his final Olympic haul to one gold and two silver medals. He finished fourth in the 1964 Summer Olympic Games.

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 1964 Summer Olympic Games. He was unable to win a medal and finished in 4th place.^[4]

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.^[3]

For instance, he once had a match with Soviet wrestler Aleksandr 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.^[3] He lost the match, but showed that he valued honourable behavior more than reaching victory.^[6]

Another example of his character comes from a match in Moscow. After defeating the then-world champion Anatoly 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.^[6]

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.^[2]

In 1962, an earthquake occurred in Buin Zahra in western Iran, killing over 12,000 people. 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.

Takhti was found dead in his hotel room on 7 January 1968. The Iranian government officially proclaimed his death a suicide.^[7] 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. 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 over the news of Takhti's death.^[8] Towfigh issued a special edition of their popular weekly magazine on 14 January 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 caricature.

Takhti is buried at Ibn Babawayh Cemetery in Southern Tehran, near Ray, where he is commemorated every year by his fans.

Takhti struggled with depression particularly regarding problems with his wife.^[9][10] 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.^[11][9]

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 that his father took his life.^[9] The movie Takhti,^[12] begun by Ali Hatami and finished by Behrouz Afkhami, examined some of the theories about Takhti's death.

• Takhti (1997)
• Gholamreza Takhti (2019)
• The Sheik (2014) (documentary, shown in archive footage)