Gholamreza Takhti (; 27 August 1930 – 7 January 1968) was an Iranian freestyle wrestler and a practitioner of varzesh-e bastani (traditional Persian sport). 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 () because of his chivalrous behavior and sportsmanship (Javanmardi in Iranian culture), He is listed in the UWW Hall of Fame.

Early life

On 27 August 1930, Takhti, the youngest child of a poor family, was born in the Khaniabad neighbourhood of south Tehran‌. 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.

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.

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. 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. 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. 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. begun by Ali Hatami and finished by Behrouz 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

  • A poem by Siavash Kasrai about Takhti
  • Mohtāj Rasouli, In Memory of Jahān Pahlavān Takhti, in Persian, Jadid Online, 7 January 2008, [http://www.jadidonline.com/story/07012008/almf/takhti_annivversary]. <br />Shokā Sahrāi, an audio slideshow, Jadid Online, 7 January 2008, [http://www.jadidonline.com/images/stories/flash_multimedia/Takhti_anniversary_test/takhti_high.html] (3 min 47 sec).<br />Some reminiscences of Gholamreza Takhti by his friends, in Persian, Jadid Online, 7 January 2008, [http://www.jadidonline.com/story/07012008/akmf/takhti_memories].
  • Bahār Navā'i, Takhti at British Museum (Takhti dar Muzeh-ye Britāniā), in Persian, Jadid Online, 2 March 2009, [http://www.jadidonline.com/story/02032009/frnk/takhti_british_museum].<br />An audio slideshow, Jadid Online, 2 March 2009, [http://www.jadidonline.com/images/stories/flash_multimedia/Takhti_british_museum_test/takht_high.html] (3 min 57 sec).