Gholamreza Takhti

Gholamreza Takhti (, 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, the 1959 World Championships (Tehran), and the 1961 World Championships (Yokohama). Takhti won a silver, at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. His Olympic career finished with one gold medal and two silver medals. He participated and 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.

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, 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 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. 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 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 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)