Gholamreza Takhti
Olympic wrestler and Iranian national hero, a symbol of chivalry (pahlavani), known as 'Jahan Pahlavan' (1930–1968).
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- Field
- freestyle wrestling
- Honor
- Olympic gold, Melbourne 1956
- Epithet
- Jahan Pahlavan
- Death
- 1968; officially suicide, but contested
Biography
Gholamreza Takhti (1930–1968), born in the Khani-Abad quarter of Tehran, is the most renowned wrestler in Iran's history and one of the most beloved national figures of the country's twentieth century. He won numerous Olympic and world medals, including Olympic gold at Melbourne (1956). More than his medals, what made him a symbol was his pahlavani (chivalric) character, humility, and sportsmanship on and off the mat, with many stories told of his kindness and magnanimity. Takhti was close to the National Front and to Mossadegh's ideals, which put him in political confrontation with the Pahlavi regime and SAVAK. He died on 7 January 1968 in a hotel room in Tehran. The central contested point is the manner of his death: the regime's official account declared it a suicide, but many ordinary people and opposition figures rejected this and suspected murder by SAVAK; the accusation was never proven, and even his son later affirmed the suicide account — the question remains contested.
Related entities
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, "Takti, Ḡolām-Reżā"
- H. E. Chehabi, "Sport and Politics in Iran"
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Gholamreza Takhti"