Alireza Soleimani Karbalaei ( fa, علیرضا سلیمانی کربلایی, 2 February 1956 – 21 May 2014) was an Iranian
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
freestyle wrestler. He was the first, and to date the only, Iranian to win the world superheavyweight title, which he achieved in 1989. He served as the
flag bearer
A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...
for Iran at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
, where he placed sixth.
[
Besides freestyle wrestling, Soleimani was a champion in ]varzesh-e bastani
Pahlevani and zourkhaneh rituals is the name inscribed by UNESCO for varzesh-e pahlavāni ( fa, آیین پهلوانی و زورخانهای, "heroic sport") or varzesh-e bāstāni (; , "ancient sport"), a traditional system of athletics a ...
and won the Pahlevan of Iran
Pahlevan of Iran ( fa, پهلوان ایران) 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 titl ...
title and armband in Pahlevani traditional wrestling six times.[
]
References
1956 births
2014 deaths
Wrestlers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Wrestlers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Iranian male sport wrestlers
Olympic wrestlers of Iran
Asian Games gold medalists for Iran
Asian Games medalists in wrestling
Pahlevans of Iran
Wrestlers at the 1986 Asian Games
World Wrestling Champions
Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games
Asian Wrestling Championships medalists
20th-century Iranian people
21st-century Iranian people
{{Iran-wrestling-bio-stub