Amiri Mangashti

Amiri Mangashti first became interested in sports when he attended a local gym in Haftkel, Iran, where he began to lift weights. In 1955 Mangashti won a local weightlifting competition, with his performance coming to the attention of officials. This brought him further success the following year when he won a provincial competition in Ahvaz. During this time Mangashti was working as a security guard for an oil company where the senior officials of the company encouraged him to continue with his weightlifting. He persevered with his sporting commitments, eventually becoming the Iranian champion and representing the national weightlifting team.

Mangashti competed at the 1959 World Weightlifting Championships in Poland, with his performance earning him a place on Iran’s team for the 1960 Roma Olympics. Prior to his Olympic selection he had won ten gold medals in Iran along with gold and silver medals in tournaments in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. At the Roma Games Mangashti competed in the light-heavyweight category where he finished in 10th place, with a total lift of 390 kgs. After the Olympics he won a title at the Asian Championships before retiring from the sport due to a kidney problem.