BIOGRAPHY OF MAHMOUD NAMJOU

The world and Iran’s weightlifting genius, he was born in the year 1918 in the TAKIYEH MOSTOFI area in RASHT city, his father TAGHI KHAN, a person who liked to exercise, had a box making & cigarette making workshop in RASHT. Mr. NAMJOU, during his adolescence with a group of his friends launched the group of acrobatic, which ran out a show in different cities. His great body with great flexibility became the cause that very soon he was attracted to the ancient sport. He learned the primary techniques of sport in ZURKHANE court ( traditional wrestling of Iranians), and before seventeen, he joined this field which was the original culture of Iran, so found mastery that many athletes of that time gave him respect, he registered in Master MEHR MEHDI WARZANDE sports club in 1937, and started for fencing and gymnastics exercises. Weightlifting sport was very unknown in those years, a group of him including Abdullah NADERI did exercise in WARZANDE club, MAHMOUD became familiar with weightlifting in that place, and because of great physical strength was attracted to this field too early, and in the year 1940 in the country weightlifting championship in full weight group he got the record of 250 KG and became champion, and broke the 32/5 record that belonged to the HAFT SANDOUGHHA.
Iran weightlifting federation was founded in 1939 by MR ABDOLLAH NADERI and EMMANUEL PADKOURNI, but due to the outbreak of the World War II, waited up to 1946, to become member of the world federation. During these years, NAMJOU, was unrivaled in featherweight and bantamweight competitions, and made extraordinary records. With effort of national federation and great weightlifters of that time, national weight lifting team, for the first time went to European competitions in an overseas journey to Finland in 1947. But due to less equipment and lack of familiarity with international conditions, the said team reached to the competition, very late and practically, our champion could not participate in bantamweight competition. After that he, along with national team and sometimes individual attended many competitions in various countries, including Sweden and Egypt, and for the first time in Egypt, managed to break the world record in jerk move.
Weight lifting was backbone of Iranian sport caravan in Olympic Games in 1948 which experienced it for the first time. MAHMOUD with great readiness and extra ordinary records was having best chance to get gold medal in bantamweight, but on race day, due to problem in digestion of food, could not show his power for press and snatch. And when he became ok, only jerk movement remained for him. In jerk and move, he lifted up 122/5 kg weight. This was new record for the world and Olympic Games, but unfortunately failed to get a medal.
One year after the London Olympic incident, our great champion, registered the record of 315 kg in SCHONINGEN of Netherland. This was first gold medal in sport history of Iran in an international competition.
In 1950 and 1951, again he again won the bantamweight category in international competitions. And during these years, improved world records again and again.
When MAHMOUD appeared along with Iran`s sports caravan in first Asian games, held in new Delhi, was one of the most recognized heroes in that time. He collapsed the world record and was named the first record breaker in the history of Asian games.
Prior to the 1952 Olympic in Helsinki, Mr. NAMJOU repeated the record of 320 kg in his practices many times, but due to an injury, in a traffic accident in Tehran, suffered from waist pain, and despite the attempts, could not recover until the start of the tournament. When sport caravans of countries presented in Helsinki, the king of Finland gave the Medal of Honor to Mr. MAHMOUD NAMJOU and Emil ZATOPEC, famous Olympic champion from Czechoslovakia, and invited them to be together for a day. This event represented the peak of his popularity as a great hero of world weightlifting in that era. In weightlifting championships in bantamweight category, he could not repeat his records and by registering 307/5 kg, got silver medal. When weight lifters requested him to continue in this field, he accepted the proposal and at the age of forty, appeared in 1948 Tokyo Asian games and won silver medal.
This was last field for weightlifting myth of Iran.
Late NAMJOU, in addition to weightlifting, was master in ancient sport, gymnastics, fencing, swimming, water skiing and even martial arts.
In 1951, he was appointed as president of gymnastic federation. During his rule, Iran`s national team won the fifth place in international competition of Florence in Italy.
He was a moral hero, and did not lose his heroic spirit, until the end of his life. And did not leave his connection with almighty. Shortly before his death in a ceremony to thank him for his effort for sport of Iran, while his legs, no longer were able to bear his weight, raise the holy Quran and advised the young people and athletes to follow it.
Late hero Mr. MAHMOUD NAMJOU, after fighting the cancer disease, for many years, expired in MEHR Hospital in Tehran and was buried in section 22 of BEHESHT ZAHRA cemetery. Four daughters and a son remained of him. His statue is installed opposite GILAN University in NAMJOU Street of RASHT City (north of Iran).