Jafar Salmasi

Mohammad Jafar Salmasi (Persian: محمد جعفر سلماسی‎‎, 22 September 1918 – 31 January 2000) was an Iranian weightlifter who won Iran's first Olympic medal at 1948 Summer Olympics. He was born in Kadhimiya, Iraq but originality from Salmas, West Azerbaijan.

Early life

Before he began his career as a weightlifter, Jafar Salmasi was a teacher at an Iranian school in Baghdad. An accomplished athlete, he taught himself gymnastics moves by reading illustrated books.

He discovered weightlifting in his late 20s during a trip to Tehran, and later was asked by the Iranian government to compete in a national weightlifting tournament. He won, and in 1948 went to London to compete for Iran's first Olympic team.

International weightlifting career

On 7 July 1948, he won the Bronze medal in the 56 – 60 kg featherweight event.

He was the Iranian champion in the featherweight weight class for five years, 1944 through 1948.

Salmasi returned to Baghdad after the Olympics. Later, won the gold medal at the 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi.

Later life

Later, Salmasi trained Iraqi weightlifters and continued teaching Iranian students there. When Saddam Hussein took power, Salmasi left Iraq and moved to Iran with his family.

He died in Tehran in January, 2000.