BIOGRAPHY OF JAFAR SALMASI

He was born in KAZEMEIN of Iraq in 1918. He got interested in gymnastics and weight lifting as a child and commenced playing sports since he was ten years old. He had a good command of balance and acrobatic movements.
Enjoying a considerable manpower and physical ability, he participated in weight lifting, heavy-weight category and national championship with supreme self-confidence.
Being trained in NIROU RASTI weight lifting club, he along with RASOUL RAISI and MAHMOUD NAMJOU founded Iran's first national weight lifting team. In the outdoor area of AMJADIYEH sports complex (now AZADI complex), on 26 October 1944, JAFAR broke the established Olympic record of Berlin, unofficially.
He became the national champion for four consecutive years from 1945 to 1948. The high tide of his youth coincided with World War II.
In 1944 when he was 26 years old, Olympic Games were cancelled. Four years later when the war came to an end, London was chosen as the Olympic host for the second time. In 1944 with the total 28 kilograms he came first in national championship in heavy weight category and repeated this first title in 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1948. For the first time Iranian teams were participated to Olympic games in 1948.
Participating in 60 kg category, Mr. JAFAR SALMASI, exceptionally lifted 100 kilograms improving the Olympic record by 7.5 kilograms held by Antony TERLAZO of the United States and ex-Olympic champion. Lifting 97.5 kilograms he put an end to his performance in single-lift, but MAHMOUD FAYAD of Egypt in absolute astonishment lifted 105 kilograms and became the Olympic champion in double-lift by establishing a record. Our champion came third by lifting 312.5 kilograms and became the first medalist of Iran in the first appearance.
Three years later in Asian games, Iran's weight lifting team got 7 gold and 3 silver medals and became the Asian champion. In heavy weight category, Mohammad JAFAR SALMASI won the gold medal by lifting 305 kilograms and then left the national team. For years Mohammad worked in education ministry and after retiring settled in Qom city. Mr. SALMASI, the first Iranian Olympic medal winner, died when he was 81 in 1999 due to diabetes in BAHONAR Hospital in Tehran. He was buried in twenty-Second block of BEHESHT ZAHRA Graveyard next to late NAMJOU.
God bless him. Amen.